BeViral, 1829 W Craig Rd#3, Asheville, NC (2025)

01/04/2025

"Don't judge me.

If i complain about my children, don't say i don't love them.

If i say how perfect they are, don't tell me I'm too braggy. You don't see the hours I spend holding and loving them.

If I'm honest about motherhood, don't say I'm ranting. You didn't see how many years I couldn't tell anyone how I felt because I was afraid.

Don't judge the mother who is formula feeding. Don't call her lazy. You don't know if she struggled for months on end trying to make it work. You didn't see her go to lactation consultants, eat lactation cookies. Spend money on lip ties and a pediatrician. You didn't see her journey.

Don't judge the mother who breastfeeds in public. You don't know if today was the day she finally got the confidence to do it. You don't know how hard she's worked to keep that breastfeeding going. Don't belittle the act of a mother feeding her baby.

Don't judge the mother who tells off her kids in public. You don't know if she's the most patient woman in the world. You don't know that she is always gentle but today she lost her s**t because she's tired and worn out. Don't call her a bad parent when you don't see all she does.

Don't judge the mother on her phone. You don't know if she's replying to important work emails. Working from her phone, looking up recipes that her kids will eat for dinner or talking to her mum that lives a million miles away.

Don't judge the mum who works, she's making a living for her child.

Don't judge the mum who stays home, she's doing the job of 20 for no pay.

Don't judge the single mum. Shes doing fine on her own, and is doing the job of both parents . She left a bad relationship, she stood up for herself, she's a role model to her children.

Don't judge the mother eating fast food with her kids. You don't know that she's too exhausted to cook, that she wanted to keep her kids happy and get out of the house for a treat. You don't know her struggles. She could grow an organic vegetable farm for all you know.

Don't judge the mother who hasn't lost her "baby weight". She's spent the year healing from birth, mentally and physically. Now isn't the time for her to give up cake and eat kale.

Every mother has her own story. She has walked down a tough path. You don't know her challenges, her strengths, her weaknesses...Her life, you don't know any of it. She judges herself every day, she strives for the best every day, so rather than judging, lend a smile to her, cut up her food when she breastfeeds, warm up the kettle for her formula, reassure her in her struggles and praise her victories.. and remember before you criticize, accuse or abuse, you have to walk a mile in her shoes."

Credit Laura Mazza - Mum on the Run
[𝘋𝘔 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭]
Follow Us BeViral

01/04/2025

"I have had alopecia since I was a kid. It came and went, usually small bald spots here and there triggered by stress. My friends would ask about my bald spot, and I would come up with a lie. They would always grow back.... up until December 2015. I found a quarter sized bald spot on my head. I hadn't had alopecia since I was 13. I thought this time it would be like the rest, it would grow back. Fast forward to November 2016, I was losing small amounts of my hair until November... then, I rapidly started losing my hair. I was horrified as any female would be, I was sad, depressed, and I felt UGLY. I wore my first wig in December of 2016. It got so bad I could not hide my spots anymore, I had to wear wigs. I would brush my hair and clumps would fall out. CLUMPS. I cried every time. I balled my face off, I would cry so hard my eyes would almost be closed shut.

Finally, on December 26th, 2016 I decided to pull a Britney and shave my head entirely. I was tired of false hope and holding onto literally strands of hair I had left.

I have alopecia totalis. I do not grow hair on my head, my legs, my arms, armpits, and I am slowly losing my eyebrows. Mine was triggered by a massive amount of stress. This disease is not controllable. I never thought I would be brave enough to post a picture of me being bald. I never thought I would be bald...But I am, and I am so proud of myself and the challenges I have overcome and continue to overcome daily.

If you have alopecia (or are doubting your beauty in any way) know you ARE beautiful no matter what and it gets easier, much easier."

Credit Shelly Lauzon
[𝘋𝘔 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭]
Follow Us BeViral

01/04/2025

"Dear LuLu's of Destin,

You are looking at a picture of a boy that has never, in his 6 and a half years, been able to order from a restaurant....ever. He was diagnosed with multiple, life threatening food allergies at 4 months old which makes going out to eat impossible. He is severely allergic to tree nuts, peanuts, dairy, and eggs. We visited your restaurant a week ago today when we were on vacation in Fort Walton Beach, FL, after hearing you might be able to accommodate him. I called and talked to the manager, Justin, and he was absolutely amazing. After explaining that there is a complete separate area for cooking the food for food allergic people and the different items you all offered for his allergies, my whole family of 13 people drove the 30 minutes to give it a shot. We were taken care of beyond what we could have ever imagined and my sweet boy, Isaac, had a once in (his) life time experience. We all ate delicious food and Justin continually checked in with us and made us feel like a top priority. We danced, sang, played and literally had a night I, as his mother, will never ever forget. On the way home from our trip, Isaac said, with certainty, the best part of his week vacation at the beach was eating at LuLu's. Thank you from the bottom of my worried mother heart for giving him this experience. Your allergy free menu is nothing short of spectacular! We WILL be back next time!"

Credit Holly Garrett‎
[𝘋𝘔 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭]
Follow Us BeViral

01/04/2025

"I tried to stay off social media yesterday to connect with my family without distraction so I'm posting this today. Emily took this in Whole Foods. It's now one of my favorite photos ever of me and my dad. Two men, standing together in silence, forever bonded by an unconditional love for both each other and this brand new, raw and pure soul who we would both go to the ends of the earth for. I can only imagine how many times I did this when I was her age. My dad taught me so much about what it means to be a man, but this post is about one thing and one thing only. Being comfortable in the uncomfortable. Something I grew up watching him do with me over and over again. There are no perfect parents, but one thing my dad taught me is to not parent based on what anyone else thinks. My dad always let me feel what I needed to feel, even if it was in public and embarrassing. I don't remember him ever saying "You're embarrassing me!" or "Dont cry!" It wasn't until recently that I realized how paramount that was for my own emotional development. Our children are learning and processing so much information and they don't know what to do with all of these new feelings that come up. I try to remember to make sure my daughter knows it's OK that she feels deeply. It's not embarrassing to me when she throw tantrums in the grocery store, or screams on a plane. I'm her dad…not yours. Let's not be embarrassed for our children. It doesn't reflect on you. In fact.. we should probably be a little more kind and patient with ourselves too. If we got out everything we were feeling and allowed ourselves to throw tantrums and cry when we felt the need to then maybe we'd could also let ourselves feel more joy and happiness. And that is something this world could definitely use a little more of."

Credit Justin Baldoni
[𝘋𝘔 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭]
Follow Us BeViral

01/03/2025

A Virginia library is leading the way in making public spaces more accommodating for parents of small children with its innovative parent-child computer workstations! Located in the children's room at Henrico County Public Library's Fairfield branch, the 'Parent & Child Carrel' feature a computer workstation alongside an enclosed safe play area for babies and toddlers. The design was the brainchild of library staff who had observed that the standard computer lab model didn't work well for parents of young children. "We've seen parents and caregivers who would need to do adult work, like apply for a job or create a document for community college and so on, and if they had little infants and toddlers, we saw that it was very tricky to do," says Barbara Weedman, the Henrico County Public Library Director.

When the library was remodeled, the staff asked the architects if they could include ready-made furniture that addressed this need in the final design. When the architects couldn't find any good options, they asked a small children's furniture company, TMC The Makers Creative, in Ann Arbor, Michigan to create a new kind of work carrel that could accommodate both parents and young children. Since the 'Parent & Child Carrels' were unveiled, they've been a tremendous hit with library patrons. As Weedman observed: "Librarians love to help, and we love to give access to people, and it can be tricky when you have little ones. And I think this has resonated with many people, because they can relate, juggling all these things in our busy lives."

Credit goes to the respective owner.
[𝘋𝘔 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭]
Follow Us BeViral

01/03/2025

My 8-year-old daughter has autism. It’s two days before sports day at my daughter’s school and gym lessons are all about practicing for hurdles, sprinting and egg and spoon races. The children are excited, eager and raring to go…all except one child who finds any sport a challenge.

She is small, quiet, slow at running and finds balance and jumping difficult. She has fallen too often and takes longer to master even the most basic of physical skills. Everyone in her class knows this but today it seems even more obvious.

The class is divided into teams to practice the skills. Although no mention of competing, timing or winning is even said the children somehow know this is practice for the big day when trophies and awards are given out. The teacher numbers the children and sends them to their respective areas.

And then it happens.

“Miss can I swap groups?”

“Does she have to be in our team?”

“It’s not fair we always have her!”

“That’s it! I’m not taking part if she’s on my team!”

And as that one child walked off, refusing to take part in the lesson simply because my autistic daughter was on her team.

My 8-year-old won’t tell me how she felt about that but I can imagine. As her mum I want to cry. My daughter may struggle with social awareness at times but even she totally understood she was not welcome or wanted and she knew exactly why.

She knows she is different from her peers. She knows her physical skills are delayed and that she often needs adult help to participate, yet every week she tries her best. But how much can one child take?

What would you do if you knew no-one in your class wanted you on their team?

Naomi ignored them. She carried on as if nothing had happened while the other child sat and watched. She needed assistance at the hurdles and at anything related to using balls but then as the teams moved around activities the teacher noticed something very special.

When Naomi’s team came to sprinting they were a child short on her team. The child who finds running hard took it upon herself to not only run for herself but also on behalf of the very child who had refused to join in because she did not wish to be on a team with my autistic daughter! The teacher cheered her as she pushed herself to not only run twice for her team but also do several other tasks twice over because her team was a child down.

There was no race to win today. There were no prizes. The actual sports day is not for another two days yet. However, when I collected my daughter today her teacher called me back to speak to me.

She never told me about the child who refused to join in because my daughter was on her team. Instead, she told me how proud she was of my 8 year old who excelled on so many levels.

It was my daughter who told me what happened with the other children and how one girl refused to join in because Naomi was on her team.

“How silly was that, mum! She thought she had no chance of winning because I am slower than others but you will never win anything unless you try.”

My daughter proved she is much greater at sports than anyone realized. She showed sportsmanship, team work and resilience beyond her years. What she lacks in physical ability she made up for in strength of character.

Too often we look down on others because they seem weaker or less able.

At bedtime tonight my daughter summed up her day like this:

“It was good mum! I tried my best and did extra when I could to help. That makes me a winner…right?”

Yes. Yes it does.

Sometimes the hardest lessons in life show us what we are truly made of.

Written by Miriam Gwynne
[𝘋𝘔 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭]
Follow Us BeViral

01/03/2025

Mama, you told me
That motherhood would be wonderful.
But Mama, you never told me
What it would do to me.
How it would take the woman that I was;
The woman who thought she knew everything
And could control everything
And break her down and
Teach her that
She had so much to learn.

Mama, you told me
There would be sleepless nights.
But Mama, you never told me
Just how tired I would be;
How sleep would become a luxury, and not something
To which I am entitled;
But that there was nothing sweeter
Than hearing the sound
Of their steady breath while they slept;
And that even when all I wanted
Was to close my eyes
For five more minutes,
Small, soft, chubby arms
Around my neck,
Singing me songs,
Telling me stories,
Giggling and squealing,
Would make me forget how badly I needed to sleep.

Mama, you told me
That I would figure it out one day at a time.
But Mama, you never told me
That motherhood would take the perfectionist in me,
And whittle her down to someone that
Has no choice but to accept
That sometimes,
"Good enough"
Is enough.

Mama, you told me
That motherhood would change the way I think.
But Mama, you never told me
How my sharp memory would be torn into shreds,
And that I would forget,
Misplace,
And confuse things;
But that I would remember nothing more clearly
Than the way the weight of their
Small, warm bodies felt
In my longing arms,
The first time I held them.

Mama, you told me
That motherhood would teach me selflessness.
But Mama, you never told me
How sometimes I would feel like my independence,
My freedom,
My time,
My sense of self,
Had all been taken away
And that I would feel guilty sometimes wishing I could have it all back;
But that in fact, it is a privilege to be needed by someone
So deeply
And that motherhood would gift me
With so many exhilaratingly precious moments
That take my breath away.

Mama, you told me
That motherhood would change my priorities.
But Mama, you never told me
About the worrying;
How much I would worry.
Are they happy? Are they healthy?
Are they okay?
Am I enough?
I didn't know that someone else's needs could
So wholly and completely
Consume my every thought
And that everything else would become
Unimportant,
Secondary,
As long as my children were happy.

Mama, you told me
That it would be a joy to watch them grow up.
But Mama, you never told me
How quickly the time would pass;
How the hours, the days, the weeks and the months
Would slip through
My fingers
So fast
That I would suddenly find myself looking at a child instead of a baby;
A baby instead of a newborn;
And beg time to be a little bit kinder and wait for me to catch up.

Mama, you told me
That motherhood would teach me things.
But Mama, you never told me
How becoming a mother would test me
And push me
And make me doubt myself
And lead me to think that I was doing everything wrong;
But that with each test, each push, each trying moment
It would teach me
How to be better
How to be stronger
And just how much I was capable of.

Mama, you told me
You loved me.
But Mama, you never told me
How that love would run so fiercely through my veins;
How every other kind of love
I have ever felt
Would be nothing like this.
How it would be a love that teaches me
To give more than I ever thought I could give,
To somehow want to give even more when I think I have nothing left,
And to be grateful for the simplest of joys.

Written by Rasha Rushdy
[𝘋𝘔 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭]
Follow Us BeViral

01/03/2025

"I care for my 88-year-old mom due to dementia. She has been an avid knitter for many years. Recently, though, the dementia has affected many areas, including her ability to knit. She is still very content with her yarn and needles, but the outcome is different, which apparently she does not see. She just knits away. 😊 I took a picture of a piece I am keeping to remind myself that this is how her brain functions now and that she really can't think and reason normally any longer. I thought I would share it so that if you have someone in your life with Alzheimer's or dementia you could see something concrete as an illustration. Maybe it will help you to relate. God bless my mom, you and yours." ❤🕆

Credit Sandi Wicks
[𝘋𝘔 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭]
Follow Us BeViral

01/03/2025

An older man wearing a baseball hat walked into a Brooklyn coffee shop this morning, clearly in need of help. However, he struggled to communicate because he didn’t speak English very well. A younger man, working at the café and wearing a beanie, noticed his difficulty and went out of his way to assist.
For several minutes, the younger man patiently tried to understand what the older man was saying. Eventually, he realized that the man was lost and needed directions. Instead of stopping there, he pulled out his phone, showed him a map, and explained where to go. Then, in an act of kindness, he stepped away from his duties at the coffee shop and walked part of the way with the older man to make sure he found his destination.
At no point did the younger man appear annoyed or patronizing. Instead, he remained calm, patient, and kind throughout the exchange. The gratitude on the older man’s face said it all. It was such a heartwarming moment to witness.

Credit goes to the respective owner.
[𝘋𝘔 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭]
Follow Us BeViral

01/03/2025

A Love That Lasted a Lifetime
"My parents were married for 55 years. One morning, as my mother was on her way downstairs to make breakfast for my father, she had a heart attack and collapsed. My dad, in his panic and desperation, did the only thing he could. He gathered her up as best he could, almost dragging her to the truck. Without a thought for traffic lights or speed limits, he raced to the hospital. But by the time they arrived, she was already gone.
At the funeral, my father remained silent, his eyes distant. He barely shed a tear. That evening, my siblings and I sat with him, surrounded by the pain and nostalgia of our memories. We recounted the happy times and shared stories about Mom. Then, my father turned to my brother, a theologian, and asked, 'Where do you think she is now?'
My brother began to speak about the mysteries of life after death, offering his thoughts on where Mom might be. My father listened quietly. After a while, he suddenly stood and said, 'Take me to the cemetery.'
We were shocked. 'Dad,' we said, 'it's 11 o'clock at night. We can't go now.'
With a voice full of sorrow, and eyes clouded with tears, he replied, 'Please don't argue with the man who just lost his wife of 55 years.'
We fell silent. Respectfully, we did as he asked. We drove to the cemetery, gaining permission from the night watchman. With a flashlight guiding us, we walked to her grave. My father knelt beside it, gently touching her tombstone, whispering a prayer. Then, he turned to us, his children, and said something we will never forget:
'It was 55 years... You know, no one can truly understand love unless they’ve lived a life with someone. We shared everything—our joys, our struggles, the big moments, and the small ones. We endured hard times, like when I changed jobs, and moved when we sold the house. We celebrated our children’s successes, and mourned the losses of family and friends. We prayed together in hospital waiting rooms, held each other every Christmas, and forgave each other's mistakes. You know why I’m at peace? Because she left before me. She didn’t have to bear the pain of losing me, of being left alone. I love her so much, I wouldn’t have wanted her to suffer that. I’m the one to carry that burden, and I thank God for it.'
By the time he finished, we were all in tears, embracing each other in the quiet of the night. My father, comforting us despite his own grief, simply said, 'It’s okay, we can go home. It’s been a good day.'
That night, I learned the true meaning of love. It’s not about romance or passion—it’s about commitment, partnership, and the quiet, everyday moments shared between two people who choose to love each other, through everything life brings."

Credit goes to the respective owner.
[𝘋𝘔 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭]
Follow Us BeViral

01/02/2025

Idk who’s child this is but I saw this young man riding with a fishing pole in his backpack so I got in front of him and as he approached I asked him if he fished, and his first words were yes sir! I said what you be fishing for he said I’m into bass fishing. I said do you know how to use a bait caster? He said yes sir ! I reached in my center console and gave him a Lews reel that reel probably ran me $80 bucks and I only used a handful of times. You should have seen his face , he said man this a nice one too. Because of his excitement I told him wait right there I’ll be right back so I shot to the house and got my lews Mach 2 reel and rod. When I returned he had put the reel that gave him and his tackle to his house. I jumped out the truck and said I got something else for you. I handed him the rod and reel (pictured below) he called out the name of the combo and everything even told me it was expensive. He was so excited, he said thank you so much sir. He said fishing brings me joy and inner peace . It keeps me out of trouble. I told him that’s exactly why I went home and got it for you. Keep fishing kid 🙏🏾💙

Credit Hambino
[𝘋𝘔 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭]
Follow Us BeViral

01/02/2025

"This isn't the body you fell in love with."
I said to him.

The body he fell in love with was toned, it had muscles, there were no stretch marks on my belly, none on my b***s, no gut from muscle separation.

The body he fell in love with fit into tight jeans, could walk into a shop and grab any size and walk out, knowing it fit.

This body now couldn't shop at those stores, and mostly wears leggings. His body stayed the same, but mine changed in every way. It isn't fair...

I stood in front of him, exhausted and broken, the tears welled in my eyes, 'this isn't the body you fell in love with.' Then he said, 'you're right. It isn't the body I fell in love with.
Instead it's a body that grew our children, it fed our children, it comforted our children, it made life. Your body is the one I fall in love with every day. I didn't know what love was until I saw this body and found out all it could do, so thank you.'

Do not be ashamed of what you have, or what your mum body looks like, there's plenty of time to give up cake in the future, for now, enjoy the moments you have, and enjoy the fact that you have made something that is worth every stretch mark and every dimple.

If you needed a reminder, this is it, this body you have now, it's worth every bit of love and more."

Credit Laura Mazza - Mum on the Run
[𝘋𝘔 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭]
Follow Us BeViral

01/02/2025

"We had the nicest cashier today at the Walmart in Grand Forks, ND! My son was admiring the Paw Patrol balloon at the balloon display at the cash register. Our cashier was clearly not from the US and in his broken English said, 'I buy for him.' The cashier then proceeded to grab the balloon from the display and grabbed his wallet out. He was going to buy the balloon for my son! My husband and I immediately said, 'No no no that is so thoughtful but no. Zeke does not need a balloon, but that was so nice. Thank you for thinking of him!' After we bought our groceries. The cashier grabbed the balloon and his wallet a 2nd time and INSISTED that he buy the balloon for Zeke. Phill and I were so stunned and said ok. The cashier bought the balloon for our son and gave it to him! Wow, I'm still so impressed. Thank you, Kalid from Wal-Mart. So thoughtful!"

Credit goes to the respective owner.
[𝘋𝘔 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭]
Follow Us BeViral

01/02/2025

"It's NEVER too late to find love. It's not every day that you see senior citizens so excited and giddy about getting married. It's a bit out of the ordinary. That's why even on the day that I met this duo in the park to capture images for their engagement announcement, bystanders were drawn to them. Their love was magnetic. New love is not just for the the young, but for the seasoned. It reveals that it's never too late to believe that you will smile again, dance again, love again.
I could hear this couple's laughter above it all. As I approached, I noticed his arm around her shoulders, and she was gazing up at him, smiling as big as the sun. They seemed a bit nervous, but I told them the goal was to capture them doing what they normally do. As I turned my head to grab my camera and adjust my settings, I heard giggling behind me. I turned back around to see this 70-year-old man inching closer and closer to his 60-something bride-to-be's side and sliding his hand around her waist, flirting and whispering in her ear. Her giggles let me know that I would not have to prod them to show affection, but on the contrary, I would spend the entire session trying to catch up to what they were doing next. The pair couldn't keep their hands off of each other. They later shared that it was this gesture, his hand around her waist, several months earlier that was one of the first signs of a beautiful spark between them.
Cleveland Wilson, affectionately known as "Murphy," is no stranger to true love. In fact, it was at a nearby Huntsville, AL park, (Braham Springs), some 47 years earlier that he spotted a beautiful woman, Antoinette Snodgrass, whom he had met only once before, riding on a train around the lake. He called out her name, she came over and they spent the whole afternoon and evening talking and laughing. He knew from that moment that she would be his wife and five months later, they were married.
Murphy and his best friend Antoinette were happily married for 41 years until her death in 2013. Anyone who knew or interacted with them and witnessed their uncanny ability to work musically in sync as co-directors of the renowned First Seventh-day Adventist Church Inspirational Choir, she as the pianist and he, the director, knew that they were deeply in love. When she passed away four years ago, he wondered if the ache in his heart would ever heal. He knew he was not cut out to live the bachelor life, but he didn't want to go through the process of dating again.
'After Antoinette died, I had all kinds of things going on; I was teaching high school classes, directing choirs for various churches, and hanging out with my 4 grandchildren,' he explained, 'but there was still an empty space and it couldn't be filled with more work. My life balance just wasn't there.'
Murphy did know one thing...If he were ever to fall in love again, God would have to do the choosing. 'God picked her the first time I married, He's going to have to do it again,' was his constant refrain, when people asked would he ever remarry.
After losing Antoinette, it was difficult to attend church, where they had so faithfully served together for all of their 41 years together, so Murphy skipped church for several months. When he returned he didn't want to sit on the main floor of the sanctuary at First Seventh-day Adventist Church, his home church for 47 years, so he sat in the balcony, where unbeknownst to him, his answer to prayer was sitting too.
Lucinda Myers, a florist and baker, moved to Huntsville, AL in July 2013, the same month that Murphy returned to church. Myers is originally from Boston, which coincidentally is also Murphy's hometown. Having been divorced and single for 30 years, she had been praying and waiting for God to send her a husband. And although the wait was difficult, and she had moments of saying out loud, 'God, where is he?'...she kept on praying and doing the things that made her happy, such as cake decorating, babysitting and helping others. She moved to Huntsville for a fresh start.
Each Saturday, Lucinda sat in the balcony on the front row at church while Murphy was one row behind. For over 3 years, they both occupied the same space in church but didn't have any interaction with each other. Murphy had made it up in his mind that he was not going to talk to anyone because he really wanted God to do the choosing.
But one day, something caught his eye... 'It was her hair,' he said. 'And then she turned around, and Man...she's got this smile. She was very attractive...I just couldn't stop looking at her.'
Still not saying a word to her from week to week, Murphy became more and more intrigued by this woman... so much so that a nearby church member caught Murphy staring at Lucinda one day. After church, the woman approached Lucinda and told her that she had a secret admirer in the balcony. Lucinda was shocked because she'd had no interaction with him, so she emphatically said, 'Well if he is admiring me, he has to come to me. I'm certainly not chasing any man.'
And even though she dared not approach Murphy, she was noticing him noticing her. When he wasn't looking, she began admiring her admirer. And every Saturday, she made sure she was dressed to kill any desire for him to look another direction.
'I would make sure I was looking real cute,' said Lucinda, with a laugh. 'I positioned myself to be where he was so that I made sure that he saw me.'
And it was working. One day, during the welcome-your-neighbor song at church, he got the courage to approach her and said, 'You look really nice today!' She was so shocked that he had finally spoken to her, that all she could mutter was, 'What did you say?' After he repeated himself, she thanked him, and made an even greater effort to make sure she was "on point" the next week, but her admirer was not there the next Saturday. In fact, he was gone for the next three weeks and she missed seeing him, so she had to find a way to let him know he was missed.
When Murphy returned to church the following month, she walked over to him during the welcome and said, 'Where have you been with that pretty smile?' and followed it up with a hug.
But 'It was not the typical "welcome your neighbor hug,' said Murphy, smiling. 'The next thing you know my hand was around her waist. I asked myself, 'what did I just do?' But I knew then that this lady liked me.'
On Easter weekend 2017, Lucinda was invited to Murphy's home by a mutual friend and the two of them ended up talking all day and into the night. The mental, emotional and spiritual connection was undeniably strong and there was physical attraction too. 'I thought he was cute,' said Lucinda. 'He was tall, handsome and had a calm demeanor.' The more time they spent together, the more they were convinced that God had led them together.
'I know this is from the Lord, because I prayed for him,' said Lucinda. 'I had been asking God to send me someone and Murphy is everything I've ever wanted in a man.'
The couple says they don't need TV or people to entertain them. 'We entertain each other,' said Lucinda. 'We laugh and talk for hours...We sit down and start talking then look up and realize its been four or five hours and it's just the two of us. We just enjoy each other.'
Now that Lucinda's 30-year-wait for a husband is coming to a close as they prepare for their July 29, 2017 nuptuals, she is anticipating their new life together. Although she was married before, she was only 18 when they got hitched so she has never had a wedding. She perks up and smiles anytime anyone asks if she is excited. 'I am!' she says, 'I can't wait! I just need him to behave up there,' she said with a laugh, pointing to her husband-to-be. Murphy's daughters, Gina Wilson and Danita Jones are the wedding planners, so all the couple has to do is show up.
When asked what advice Lucinda has for a person who is waiting to find true love, she said, 'Hold on, and keep the faith. Our time is not God's time...He has His time,' she continued.
'Make sure that you continue to do things that make you happy. I didn't need a human being to make me happy...If God hadn't sent Murphy, I'd still be happy doing what I loved to do, but now that he's in my life, he is the icing on the cake!' "

Credit Gianna Snell Photography
[𝘋𝘔 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭]
Follow Us BeViral

BeViral

01/04/2025

01/04/2025

01/04/2025

01/04/2025

01/03/2025

01/03/2025

01/03/2025

01/03/2025

01/03/2025

01/03/2025

01/02/2025

01/02/2025

01/02/2025

01/02/2025

Address

Website

Alerts

Contact The Business

Shortcuts

Share

Category