True love and writing love letters can be a bit tricky. If you reveal your heart too soon, will he or she walk the other way? What if your beloved thinks your prose needs some grammar help? Have I got a story of unusual love letters for you!

I think you’ll appreciate this narrative of a smitten man’s persistence. A Welshman in his early thirties falls in love with a neighbor gal. “I have a crush on you” invades his thoughts. Soon he desires to marry this woman who so captivates his affections.                                                                                       

Relationship Snag

But one day, the couple hits a snag in their relationship and stubbornly argues. The offended girlfriend refuses to forgive her beau. Rather shy by nature, the young man hesitates to face his true love.

Instead, the fella writes her love letters and slips them under her door every week. Oh, not just for a week or a few weeks. Not just for a month or even a year. The determined Welshman writes and writes every week—for 42 years. That’s nearly 2,200 love letters! (You may be thinking what I’m thinking. Maybe Mr. Love Letter could teach a class encouraging other men to at least draw an occasional heart on a sticky note for their sweetheart.)

Finally after four decades and two years of determinedly pursuing his once youthful love, the Welshman garners courage and knocks on his neighbor’s door. No doubt his heart thumps wildly as he paces outside her door. Gulp. Will she answer? Or will she simply peek through the window and close the curtains?

When the door opens, the nervous chap stammers out, “Will you marry me?” After more then half their lives apart, the gal next door agrees to marry her relentless love. Gratefully, the two of them finally tie the knot at age seventy-four. Imagine that!

Valuing Reconciliation

This story of pursuing an unrequited love for more than four decades is out of the norm, but I for one applaud the Welshman for staying steadfast. There’s so much more we’d like to know about this couple. Did she ever write him back? Why didn’t they just kiss and make up? Did they ever see each other outside their homes? Maybe out in the farmyard or at the local market? Alas, I wish I could tell you more to their story, but for now, let’s consider how their unusual relationship may apply to us.

How much time and energy are we willing to invest in our loved ones? How much do we truly value forgiveness and second chances? Are we willing to wipe the slate clean and offer a do-over when someone disappoints or hurts us with their words?

True Love Doesn’t Really Care

Valentine’s Day is not the only day out of the year to reaffirm your committed love to your spouse. How you treat your “better half” day in and day out the rest of year speaks volumes about the condition of your heart.

And for the rest of us wanting to be smitten by Cupid’s arrow, are we open to resolving relationship disagreements and conflicts . . . before they lead to a fractured romance or relationship crash and burn? I advise, risk and be persistent.

Take it from this Welsh couple, let’s just not wait years and years and years to get on the same page with those we love. Just write those love letters (or even a sticky note scrawl) and don’t worry if  your grammar is correct. Your honey won’t mind if your modifiers are misplaced or your participles are problematic. True love doesn’t really care.