Even after a devastating loss, "Godwinks" can emerge in ways that no human could have planned.Godwink — a term coined by authors SQuire Rushnell and Louise DuArt — is a sign of hope, often arriving through a divinely aligned moment so meaningful it leaves people forever changed. The pair shared the following story with Fox News Digital just in time for Father's Day this year. Ten years after losing her father to a senseless tragedy, bride Jeni Stepien walked toward her future husband, Paul Maenner, on the arm of the one man who could testify that her father’s heart was still beating.CHASTITY BEFORE MARRIAGE? NO COHABITATION? DATA SAYS COUPLES WHO SKIP BOTH MAY HAVE STRONGER UNIONSAs guests rose to their feet that day at the church in Pittsburgh, there was hardly a dry eye. Arthur Tom Thomas, the recipient of Michael Stepien’s donated heart, gently escorted the new bride — daughter of his organ donor — down the aisle.The man who received a donated heart from the deceased father of the bride escorts her down the aisle on her wedding day. (Jeni Stepien Maenner)Just moments earlier, when the two met in person for the first time, the older man leaned over and whispered something she would never forget."If you’d like," he said softly, "when I give you away, you can place your hand on my chest and feel the beat of your father’s heart."Time seemed to stand still.PASTOR AND STRANGER LINKED BY GOSPEL SONG AS MIRACULOUS KIDNEY DONATION SAVES TWO LIVESThe daughter who thought she had lost her father forever was suddenly going to be connected to him again — at her wedding — not just emotionally, but physically.Seconds later, beneath her hand, she felt the heartbeat that had once comforted her as a little girl, cheered her on through life and loved her unconditionally.At left is Paul Maenner, about to be married to his bride, Jeni Stepien, at a church in Pittsburgh.
At center is Arthur Tom Thomas, who received the donated heart of the deceased father of ...