The Eiffel Tower was something you saw in movies,
on postcards,
in textbooks.
Not somewhere you imagined
you’d actually stand one day.
Back then,
in my high school days at Notre-Dame of Manila,
my dreams were simple.
Finish school.
Find stable work.
Build a decent life.
That was already enough.
So standing today
in front of the real
Notre-Dame de Paris,
I couldn’t help but smile.
Not just because of Notre-Dame.
But because of the journey
it took to get here.
And beside me,
my wife.
Our honeymoon
in the most romantic city in the world.
From the hills of
Sacré-Cœur,
to the halls of the
Louvre Museum,
from the lights of
Moulin Rouge,
to the view at the
Arc de Triomphe,
and of course,
the timeless
Eiffel Tower,
Everything felt unreal.
Dining on a cruise along the
Seine River,
the city glowing around us
like a moving postcard.
Walking the
Champs-Élysées,
where my wife was named after.
A queenly name
for my mademoiselle.
Taking selfies at the same café
where the final letter was read by Emilia Clarke from "Me Before You."
Moments I never imagined
I would get to live.
And yet,
here I was.
Here we were.
A boy from a modest home.
A girl who believed in him.
Standing in a city once thought impossible.
And suddenly,
it all made sense.
Because having the right partner
changes everything.
Someone who believes when you doubt.
Stays when things are uncertain.
Dreams with you
even when the dream feels too big.
She is my world.
And together,
we will keep seeing the world.
One blessing at a time.