Featured graphic for Found in the Margins Part Five titled “The Date That Never Happened.” The design features a real wedding photo of Lela and Oji Fagan surrounded by their bridal party, alongside handwritten-style notes, wedding planning imagery, and the quote, “I thought I was asking Oji to be my wedding date. God was introducing me to my future husband.” Footer includes memoirsofablackgirl.com and lelajfagan.substack.com.
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The Date That Never Happened: How a Wedding Invitation Led Me to My Future Husband | Found in the Margins Part 5

Sometimes the stories that change our lives begin as simple conversations. When my lifelong friend Chi Chi encouraged me to ask Oji to be my date to her wedding, neither of us knew what God was already setting in motion. By the time her wedding arrived, Oji and I were already a couple. Years later, Chi Chi would stand beside me as my Matron of Honor, while other friends who carried me through difficult seasons helped me prepare for my own wedding day. Part Five of Found in the Margins explores friendship, faith, community, and the unexpected ways God writes our stories long before we recognize what He’s doing.
Wedding portrait of Lela and Oji Fagan standing together overlooking Niagara Falls, featured on a blog graphic titled "The List Knew Before I Did," part of the Found in the Margins series about healing, faith, friendship, and God's timing.
Posted inLatest News Life Lessons Marriage

The List Knew Before I Did: How a Forgotten List Led Me Back to Love | Found in the Margins Part 4

When I was nineteen years old, I wrote a list. Not a prayer list. Not a vision board. Just a handwritten list of qualities I hoped to find in a future husband someday. Then I forgot about it. Life happened. Grief happened. Healing happened. Years passed. What I didn't know was that God was doing a deeper work in me long before I would reconnect with the man who would eventually become my husband. Part 4 of Found in the Margins explores the surprising connection between a forgotten list, a season of personal growth, an old friendship rekindled, and the realization that sometimes God's preparation isn't about finding the right person—it's about becoming the right person.