We were two single parents with kindergartners, both in the late pass line. I complimented a kid’s dinosaur shirt—not knowing it was Sheena’s kid. Sheena later told me she thought we should be friends, so we started talking after drop-off, and it quickly became my favorite part of the day. On her 40th birthday, we hung out all day, ending with a long hug and seeing a shooting star. I wished on that star that she’d be my wife. A few days later, I asked her to be my girlfriend. She said yes.

One of our favorite memories, besides our wedding, was hiking the Blue Ridge Parkway in Asheville. We had lunch on a mountain peak, saw a storm rolling in, and rushed back. Just as we reached the car, rain poured down in sheets. Drenched and laughing, Sheena and I danced and kissed, not caring a bit. We were soaked, in love, and totally in the moment.

Sheena and I have both experienced poverty and housing insecurity, and we’ve never had expendable income. With $20,000, we’d pay off a few debts, set aside some for our kids’ college, and donate the rest to nonprofits doing powerful work in systemically underresourced communities.