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With Valentine's Day approaching, what better way to celebrate than reading a real-life love story? I asked novelist Nikki Arana to share how she and her husband, Antonio, met. Nikki is the author of The Regalo Grande series, a 3-book series inspired by the relationship between Nikki and Antonio. Read the review of Book #1: The Winds of Sonoma. Written by: Nikki Arana With Valentines Day coming At Home with Christian Fiction asked me to tell the story of how I met my husband and what inspired me to write a book about our romance. Well, first let me clarify. Mine was not an ordinary romance. Usually a man and a woman meet, date, and then, if the feelings are mutual, romance blossoms. But that isn’t how it happened in my case. It couldn’t. I didn’t speak his language and he didn’t speak mine. I didn’t understand his culture and he didn’t understand mine. I was a successful Realtor, dating well-known Hollywood names, and he was a poor, illiterate Mexican stable hand who cleaned the stalls of my Arabian horses. How could these two people ever fall in love? There was something we didn’t know. But God knew. It was a love He had ordained. And what He ordains, He prospers. The first hint I had that the man who cleaned my stalls was special came shortly after he was hired. I took him to clean a water trough in one of the pastures. He found a rock with a flat side. Then this big, strong, young man knelt by the trough, let the water out, and began to scrub. I was amazed how the filth fell away and the metal shone through. I watched, curious and fascinated. I’d never before seen anyone clean something with a rock. Then I noticed his smile. It lit his face as he worked, patiently keeping at the task, whistling softly. He did his work with a quiescent joy. His quiet, simple way touched me. He began to hum. How could this delight for life have survived the poverty and nothingness, the years of hunger and want that I knew he had fled? I stood silent, watching him. The minutes passed. The gentle, beautiful spirit revealed before me, there in the field at the dirty water trough, sparked an inner longing. And so I was drawn to him. I wanted what he had. Still not understanding that the ever-present God who cares, provides for those that hunger for need of food . . . and those that hunger for need of Him. As the days passed, my life was filled with selling real estate, showing horses and living the good life, with little time for church or God. I learned Spanish words so I could talk to Antonio. But he always kept his place. I was the patrona, the boss, and he was the laborer. I cannot say why, but as I grew to know him, his humble way, his respect for all, whether it be people or animals, and his obvious reverence for God began to convict me. I wanted to know the source of his peace and joy. And finally, one day, I told him that . . . and more. I loved him. Imagine my surprise when he told me that he had prayed that God would make a way for him. That he had loved me since the first day he saw me, but he knew only God could make his dream come true. And then he took my face in his hands and kissed me. In that instant, reversing our roles and turning my world upside down. No longer patrona and laborer, but man and woman. For the next three months, we got to know each other. As our love deepened, my spiritual walk did too. Antonio was truly a man of God. And I came to understand that he loved me as Christ loves the church. And that God had a plan for my life and that that life would be shared with Antonio. We married three months later on March 6, 1976. Now, thirty years have come and gone and I can tell you this was not just a romance—it is a love story that has endured. I believe it is a love God ordained. Not only to be treasured, but to be shared. That’s why I wrote The Winds of Sonoma. |