How many times have we texted the wrong number? It’s quite an easy mistake to make, but in Brenda Stearns’ case, a text sent to the wrong number changed her life forever.
In 2009, Brenda Stearns, who moved to the U.S. from Mexico when she was 12, would send out positive messages daily to people in her phone book.
She had recently visited her sister in Ohio, and added her sister’s friends as contacts before she went back to Georgia.
She recalled, “At the time, I didn’t really know many people. I had this habit of sending positive messages on Mondays or throughout the week to everyone in my phone book. I probably had, like, 10 phone numbers.”
She drafted positive messages to send out one morning and when she sent them out later in the day, one number immediately replied. The message read, “Amen to that. Who is this?” Assuming she had texted one of her sister’s friends in Ohio, she texted back, “It’s Brenda, Roxy’s sister.”
The reply, however, stated, “No, we’ve never met. My name is Isaiah Stearns.” And that started a whole new chapter for Brenda and Isaiah.
Interestingly enough, Isaiah, who also lived in Ohio, had just purchased a new phone the day before he received the positive message from Brenda.
When he started using the new phone, the SIM card wasn’t working, and he had to get a new number that morning.
Brenda shared, “So the phone company gives him a new number, and within 30 minutes he receives my text. No one knew his number, it was brand-new, and if I’d sent that text in the morning when I meant to, he would’ve never received it. It was all perfect timing.”
Brenda quickly apologized for the mistake, but Isaiah said, “If you don’t mind, I’d like to keep your number and maybe text you sometime.”
This then led to daily calls and text messages between the two, which Brenda enjoyed as she thought that Isaiah was easy to talk to. Soon enough, the pair exchanged Facebook profiles and began talking more often.
When Brenda learned that Isaiah lived near her mom in Ohio, she suggested meeting for coffee if she was nearby. A positive message sent to the wrong number was soon turning into a relationship.
Brenda felt that she was falling for Isaiah, and said, “We had so many things in common. At this point in my life, I was ready. I was 22, and I’ve always dreamt of becoming a mom and having a family. I’ve never been a dating girl. I wanted to date someone that was worthy of marriage.”
After weeks of speaking on the phone and online, Brenda was ready for the next step. She even told her mom about Isaiah.
“Me and my mom are really close, and I remember talking to her and I said so there’s this guy, he lives in Ohio, and I think I like him but I’m kind of afraid,” she said.
Her mother offered to see him instead. She and Brenda’s younger sister ended up meeting Isaiah in a restaurant.
Brenda recalled, “As soon as they sat at the table, my sister’s, like, I got to go to the restroom and gives me a call. She’s like, ‘Oh my goodness, Brenda, he’s so tall. He’s very cute.'” Brenda’s mom also gave Isaiah the thumbs up, even rating him an 11 out of 10!
Her mom suggested inviting Isaiah over for Christmas so the two could finally meet. The meeting almost didn’t take place as Brenda’s boss couldn’t give her time off to go to Ohio for Christmas.
Though it was a heartbreaking decision, Brenda decided to leave her job. “I told my mom, ‘Hey, I’m going to be moving in with you for a little bit, I quit my job,'” she said.
After moving to Ohio on November 29, 2009, she and Isaiah finally met in person on December 1. Brenda shared, “We talked about our future and our dreams and what we would be at this point. We decided to not waste time. We were, like, ‘Let’s just do it. Let’s be boyfriend and girlfriend.'”
Isaiah proposed three months later, and the accidental pair married in June 2010. “It happened fast, but it felt right,” Brenda said.
“It wasn’t rushed. Like, it just happened. We were just so in love with each other.” A positive message texted to a wrong number had become a marriage! Now, 13 years after that fateful text, the couple remain happily married with six children.
Brenda and Isaiah’s story went viral after she shared it recently on TikTok under the handle @she_plusfive. It has been viewed 2.2 million times! She received thousands of positive messages, saying that their relationship was meant to be.
Now, 13 years later, the couple are happily married with six children—all thanks to that one accidental text message. “People always say, like, ‘You should write a book about this, it’s like a Hallmark movie.’ I love my story and I do think it’s special, but I never thought it would resonate with so many people,” Brenda said.
Thinking back on that text with the positive message that started it all, Brenda believes that it was an act of fate. She said, “I love that we made that mistake. We’ve had our ups and downs, but we’ve always stuck together. I am super proud of our little family.”