According to Wikipedia, computer-assisted dating began in 1959 when two Stanford students matched 49 couples using a questionnaire and an early IBM computer. My husband and I met in 1989, without the help of technology, while doing a year of lay mission work. There were eight of us volunteers, four religious sisters, two priests, and the mother of one of the sisters, all living together in a former orphanage (think small, cell-like bedrooms). Two volunteers from the previous year got married as well as two volunteers from the year after. It’s not a bad way to meet someone, but with a $60 a month stipend, it didn’t allow for much in the way of traditional dates like eating out or going to the movies.
I wrote the following poem in 2013, when online dating services and smartphones were a standard part of the romantic landscape.
E-Loves Me
We met through an online service,
Grew close through emails and chats,
Texted till one in the morning,
Sent smartphone pics of our cats.
We haven’t had a real date yet;
Still, I feel that our love will endure.
I think you might be the Right One—
In fact, I am virtually sure.
© Stephanie Malley
Happy (early) Valentine’s Day! Peace to your ♥ !
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