"Love
is patient, Love is Kind, Love does not envy, it does not boast, it is
not proud. Love is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it does not anger.
Love keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but
rejoices in the truth. Love always protects, always trusts, always
hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. There are three things that
last forever: Faith, Hope and Love, But the greatest of these is LOVE."
(1 Corinthians 13:4-8, 13)
This verse means so
much to the both of us. Joe and I (Alexandra) met on Catholic Match
last November of 2003. We corresponded for a year until he visited me
in the Philippines, and proposed marriage to me in front of my late
best, best friend, Kate (who died of leukemia February of 2003). Joe
knew how important Kate was in my life. Since we were kids, we have
always promised each other that we will be the matrons of honor in both
of our weddings...but she passed away before I met Joe...the man that I
will love forever. On November 7th, 2004, the proposal happened right
in front of my best friend's gravesite, and Kate was a witness of my
sweet acceptance to marry Joe and love him for the rest of my life.
The
trials in a long distance relationship are never easy. There even came
a point that we both almost lost our grip, but whenever we felt
hopeless, we would both pray together and call on God. Indeed, there is
nothing impossible with God as long as you completely trust in Him. We
survived the long distance relationship by CONSTANTLY communicating to
each other everyday...it was even harder because our times zones were
completely different. When it was morning in the Philippines, it's
night time in the U.S. We had to sacrifice, staying up late at night
just to meet each other online... Constant communication made us closer.
On
May 16, 2005, my two-year-old daughter (now three) and I flew to the
U.S. The wedding planning then began...July 23, 2005 was the day when
we both faced God to say our vows in the sacrament of the holy
matrimony. A day that was once just a dream for us, but God made it
happen, and we just couldn't thank Him enough for blessing us with this
wonderful marriage. His parents are also very strong in their Christian
faith and I love them to death!!
This experience has once again
shown us how wonderful God really is. Once you entrust everything in
His holy hands, He will never fail you. Hang on to Him when you seem to
find no hope...because when Joe and I first thought that there was no
hope...God stood in between and brought our hearts together...two
hearts that will beat as one today and for the rest of our lives.
