He reflects on a yearning he once held deep inside and a quiet plea made to the heavens.

It happened after he’d dealt with heartbreak.He’d been married 64 years. But his beloved wife Rita died in 2006 at age 88.Walter mourned her passing. But he also felt he wanted companionship once again — if only he could meet the right one.“I was quite lonely,” he says. “I asked the Lord to send someone my way.”And then it happened.“I was preaching at Salem Bible Fellowship. I was guest speaker. I always go to the door to greet the people,” says Walter.That’s when he met her, the former Catherine Shutters. She was in a similar situation, single again after having been married 42 years.All about shoesWalter chatted with demure Catherine as she strolled past. He took a fancy.Catherine took notice of Walter, as well. More than his smile or his hands — it was his feet.“I liked his appearance and the shoes he wore. They really stood out,” she says.Walter chuckles at the thought. The shoes? Oh sure, the shoes are snazzy, but they’re eligible for Medicare.“They’re two-tone ‘pufferated’ shoes,” he laughs. “They’re at least 65 years old.”Catherine also liked his disposition, although she admits, “I didn’t know anything about him. But he was very pleasant.”In fact, Catherine told others afterward about his nice eyes.“I said he had blue eyes. But he doesn’t,” she laughs. Oh well, those dazzling shoes were such a distraction.As for Walter, he was smitten by Catherine’s genuine charm.“She looked very sweet,” he recalls.Till they met againThe following Sunday the two met again, this time at Andreas Methodist Church.“My son-in-law, Al Cheese, introduced me to her,” says Walter.Of course, Walter and Catherine both remembered having met the week before.This time, Walter walked Catherine to her car. A kind, mannerly gesture.“That sort of shook me,” she says.In a few days, Walter picked up the phone and called, the first of many. A bold step, maybe. But that’s what you do when the heart leads you.They chatted and the relationship began to blossom, even if it caught Catherine by surprise.“I was shocked. I wasn’t looking. It was unexpected,” she says.Cupid was aiming the arrow and these lovebirds were in the line of fire. There’s just no escape.And then it happened.“One night on the phone he said ‘I love you,’ ” says Catherine. She was stunned. Speechless.“I couldn’t answer right away. I knew he liked me and I liked him. But love had to build.”And it did.Arrow hits targetCupid’s arrow hit its mark through an old-fashioned courtship, even if a short one.“You can’t have a long courtship at our age,” says Catherine, with a smile.When love blossomed, debonair Walter was 93. She was 10 years younger.“He jokes about robbing the cradle,” she says.The couple decided it was time for nuptials, although Catherine admits the whole thing was still a work in progress.“Even the day we got married it hadn’t struck me. But afterward I said ‘I really know what love is.’ ”Of course, Catherine’s awakening might be attributed to Walter’s warmth and passion.“At the end of the ceremony when I kissed her, the preacher thought we’d never quit,” he says.It was the start of something special. After all, love is a many-splendored thing.Sure, living together required some minor adjustments.“You’ve got to learn to change,” says Catherine. It’s the same with any newlyweds.But Walter says it’s all part of being in love.“After seven years, we’re still on our honeymoon,” he remarks.Love is timelessCatherine says there’s a take-away lesson.“It can happen anytime. I wasn’t looking, but there he was.”And the reward? Love is a fountain of youth.“You’re young again,” she says.The two live in the Majestic House Apartments where they rejoice in their devotion every day.“We’re so happy in our home,” says Walter. “And we feel the presence of the Lord.”As for Catherine, she knows love isn’t dependent on a clock or a calendar.“Age has nothing to do with it,” she says. “It’s your feelings.”At age 90 and 100, Catherine and Walter are powerful examples of love’s unlimited potential.Magic happens when two hearts unite. And nobody is immune to the magic.Love is out there waiting for you. Don’t think it can’t happen. There’s a lid for every pot.And you might just find it, even if you’re not looking. At any given moment, Cupid’s arrow can strike.It might be as soon as today, or maybe tomorrow. It can even happen when you think you’re not ready.There’s no such thing as a timetable when it comes to affairs of the heart.