“That’s a wrap.” Joe smiled through the glass window that separated singer from technician.

Anna Silvers took off her headphones and closed her eyes. She had been in the studio for weeks recording her next album and she was spent, “Wow, what a relief.” She sighed. Although glad it was over, she always had fun singing .

It had been her passion since childhood. Joe came through the door and handed her a bottle of water while all the other technicians, musicians and singers gathered their things together.

“Thanks.” She said, taking a big sip.

“I think this is your best one yet, Anna. I mean that.”

“Really?” Her brown eyes got bigger. Joe had been her childhood friend. Growing up in strong Christian families, both felt the Lord leading Anna to pursue a singing career. After a lot of prayer, Joe went off to college to get a degree in Music Business, while Anna continued to sing at their church. Joe met the girl of his dreams while at college and was married soon after. Anna and Joe still remained great friends. Joe eventually opened up his own studio, and was now recording some of the top Christian artists, but Anna would always be his first and favorite.

“Yes, really.”

“Thanks, Joe. You have no idea what that means to me.”

The two parted with a hug and Anna went home, home to an empty house. For years Anna thought she was going to marry Joe, but when he came home so excited about Isabel, the girl he met, Anna couldn’t have been happier for him. When she finally met the petite brunette with the most amazing blue eyes, Anna understood Joe’s excitement. She soon became Anna’s close friend too. Isabel and Joe now had two children and one on the way.

Now, almost 40 years old, Anna had given up on finding the man of her dreams. She kept telling herself she’d just have to get used to an empty house.

“Oh, Lord.” She said out loud, “I know you have a purpose for all this, but, well, you know my hearts desire. You know I’ve always wanted to get married. I want to give up, Lord, but how can I give up on You when You’ve never given up on me?”

The words echoed through the house. Sighing, Anna put on her pajamas, pulled her long, brown hair back in a ponytail and went to her computer to check her e-mail. As the computer started up, she looked at the cows on the desk and thought of the story behind them. It had started out as a joke. When she and Joe were in school together, they would walk down the hallway and he would silently moo. People would look around and wonder where it was coming from. Anna would giggle, and it went on like that for years. She loved Joe’s sense of humor. He had always been the class clown. Birthdays and holidays would roll around, and all Joe got for her were things relating to cows, so Anna did the same. Ever since, that was all they would buy. It made shopping much easier, Joe would say. She smiled, then realized she was thinking, as her cow screen saver popped up.

She signed on to America On-line and couldn’t wait to read her e-mail, then send out her own letting her fans know her new album was done and would be out in stores soon.

She loved meeting people, both on-line and at concerts. All of her supporters, as she liked to call her fans, sent such encouraging notes. She wished she could reply to every one, but with so many, it was hard. She tried to reply to ones she felt lead to, or to ones who really ministered to her heart. She clicked on the mail symbol and looked down the list. Yep, there was one from Jenny, a sweet woman she had met only a few weeks ago at a concert. Something clicked between them and they stayed in touch via e-mail. Jenny sent her a note every day. It always brought a smile to Anna’s face. What a blessing these people were, especially Jenny.

Going farther down the list, Anna recognized almost every name. Most she had met, some where new. There was one from the 10 year old boy who always claimed to be her biggest fan. He was a sweetheart, she thought. They met twice and she always got the best hugs from him. She kept going, and one in particular caught her eye. The subject said, “Man of your dreams?” She figured it was another e-mail from some strange website, but felt lead to click on it. It opened up and turned out to be from a supporter. It was actually a very sweet letter. The man said he was joking about the “man of her dreams”, but figured it might catch her attention. He talked about how Anna’s music had really ministered to him years ago when he was going through rough times in his life. His wife had passed away five years ago, and Anna’s song, “He Lifts Me Up” had lifted him out of depression. He told her how he felt lead to write to her and ask if there was a possibility of meeting. He knew it sounded strange and she had to be cautious, so he was taking a chance. Enclosed was his picture, which Anna downloaded. It wasn’t the most flattering picture, but Anna immediately thought how attractive he was. It looked like he was in a restaurant or something, scrubbing the floors. He didn’t look too happy whoever was taking the picture. He hated pictures, he went on to say, but his brother felt the need to snap this one, and it was the most recent, and really the only one he had. He had wrestled his brother to the ground after that, but he did eventually forgive him. Anna laughed. There was something about this man that she found very appealing. She didn’t know what it was. She had been on dates before, but never felt comfortable that anyone she met would be the “one”.

“Well, let me finish my other mail, and I’ll come back to you, David Condello.” She read the name at the end of the letter.

Twenty minutes later, she did just that. She prayed hard about it. God came first in her life, after all. She prayed that if it was the Lord’s will, He would put David on her heart. She went to bed with his name on her heart, and woke up to it. She couldn’t get him out of her mind. She remembered something she had done years ago too, and the next morning clicked on a file on her computer. Up popped her list of qualities she wanted in a husband. Her mother had told her, a few years back, to write them down and pray about it. She had almost forgotten about the list, until now. Something made her print it out and read it. Of course, she didn’t know this man, so this list was going to remain on her desk for now. She felt the Holy Spirit leading her to write to him. What the heck, she thought, but before she typed a word, the doorbell rang. She opened the door and the hot June air rushed in.

“Hi, is this Anna Silvers house?” The man said.

“Yes, this is she.”

He handed her the bouquet of flowers in his hand.

“What’s this?” She said. The man smiled and walked away.

Anna shut the door, thankful for the air conditioning that kept her cool during these hot summer months, and took the card out. It read, “A little birdie told me your address. Hope you don’t mind. David Condello.”

A smile came to Anna’s face. What was it about this David Condello that gave her a fluttery feeling inside? She thought about the picture. He had a silly face on, but there was a depth that was evident. He had such a sparkle in his eyes. You could actually see his love for Jesus in them. Anna prayed and thought. Should she take a chance?