Forty-five-year-old Ana had been through the break up of a marriage. For Lawrence, at age 47, he’d waited a long time for the chance to meet his special someone. Both were determined to get it right, and core values like honesty and faith in God were going to be at the cornerstone of any future relationship.
When Ana, from Brooklyn, encountered Lawrence from upstate Syracuse, they each found those important building blocks of a relationship in place. They also found shared interests in things like music and nature. Just as importantly, for the Spanish-speaking Ana, there was a mutual cultural respect that made growth in love possible. Their relationship stayed electronic for an extended period of time, as they relied on e-mails and text messages. But through this process they began to develop very strong feelings with each other and opened up about their differences, ambitions and what they saw as their limitations. “We were sure we were a very good match,” Ana told CatholicMatch. “And it turned out to be just like that when we met.”
Ana and Lawrence’s love for each other has grown to the point that engagement is on the table, but there are still hurdles that have to be crossed. The plan is for him to move to Brooklyn and they are both in prayer that he finds the right job that will enable him to relocate. They are also working on becoming a bilingual couple, as he helps her with English pronunciation and she teaches him to speak Spanish.
The love they have for each other has been obvious to people around them, even those they don’t know. “A lot of people looked at us with delight when they could see we were really in love,” Ana recalled. “Some of them even approached us and wished us the best. “
In spite of language barrier in worldly terms, in the bigger picture, Ana and Lawrence each spoke the same language of faith, and they work a little bit each day to bring their dream of marriage a little bit closer.
