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True Love: The Story of Cherise and Chris

Romance is all around us! Each of my monthly newsletters features a true love story that is meant to inspire and uplift you. You can subscribe to the newsletter on this website at any time. August’s true love story was one of second chances and shared passions that even a romance author couldn’t make up!

He’s the happiest guy I know,” Cherise explains when asked about Chris. “He’s always laughing, whistling, and singing. He promised me that every day would be Valentine’s Day, and it is.”

Cherise was working a hectic job, raising her teenaged son, and trying to thrive beyond widowhood and divorce. In 2014, she decided to give online dating a try. Although she lived in Northwest Arkansas, she immediately heard from a guy in New Orleans named Chris. He was good-looking, successful, masculine, and had a great personality. So, of course, Cherise’s immediate reaction was that this guy was too good to be true. She blocked him!

Two years later, she decided to try again. This time she put it all out there: who she was, what she wanted in life, what she was looking for in a relationship. No holds barred. And once again, she immediately heard from a guy in New Orleans named Chris. He remembered her, she remembered him, and this time she gave him a chance. Something about the words he chose in his messages to her felt just right. They made her cry. They made her feel a connection. She gave him her phone number, and they began having long conversations every night.

Cherise began to think he might actually be as great as he seemed. And Chris was beginning to think that Cherise might be his dream woman. He was eager to get out of New Orleans, and he loved Northwest Arkansas. So he planned a visit just a few months later and scheduled some job interviews. She came down with the flu, but that didn’t stop him from running toward her when they met, arms wide open, dancing.

The job interviews didn’t work out, but in 2017 he decided to go ahead and move to Northwest Arkansas anyway. Cherise found him a house, he eventually found a job, and they began a long, slow process of getting to know each other. Now they live together and are committed not only to their relationship but to a great love they share in common: music.

Chris played in rock bands throughout the years, and Cherise struggled to find time and energy in a busy life to nurture her own love of vocals and keyboards. She formed a gospel group once and made some recordings. She played live when she could. But music always had to take the back burner. Then along came Chris! Now he is helping to write songs, mixing her songs in his personal studio, and working on them long after she can’t even stand to listen to them anymore. He is encouraging her and promoting her success. She’s busy taking courses in songwriting, marketing her music, and planning a successful second career as a musician. And Chris is behind her all the way.

“Music is our marriage,” Cherise explains when asked what she thinks is the secret to their true love story. “You have to share a passion for something, so you’re not just joined to each other but also to that passion.”

To sample Cherise’s music, check out her website here.