Joanna and I (John) met on CM in April of 2005. I had noticed something
in her profile concerning the town she grew up in. It turns out the
town is a short distance from where I live and work. I was a District
Deputy with the Knights of Columbus, and knew some people in that town.
One of the K of C members in Joanna's childhood town is a teacher. When
I asked her if she had this particular teacher, she replied, "Okay, so
you're not going to believe this, but he's my father!" The Lord
certainly works in mysterious ways. It also turned out that she had an
aunt and uncle living in the town where I grew up.
We started
getting to know a little about each other through e-mails, and we
learned that we each come from teachers' families, we both majored in
business in college, and most importantly, shared the same faith in
God. About two weeks after our first contact on CM, we had our first
date, and it was like we knew each other already. It was immediately
apparent that this was something neither of us had experienced before
in our lives. Certainly God had something in His plan for us.
Suddenly
Mass was an even more wonderful experience. We live closely enough to
attend together on a regular basis. There is something about attending
Mass with someone you love and care about, that really adds to the
experience.
Fast forward to December of 2005. We went to visit
my parents for the weekend. On December 10, I decided to take her for a
ride to a place along the coast near home that I had been going since I
was little. We took a bit of a walk, at least until I could find a
place to kneel down. While I can remember what I said, but I mostly
remember the look on Joanna's face when I asked her to marry me, and
she said, "Yes."
We are planning a January (yes, you read that
correctly) wedding in 2007. We are about to start our pre-Cana process
with the priest who currently administers the parish Joanna's parents
got married in over forty years ago. We are in the hectic process of
trying to figure out the wheres and whats and whens, but one thing is
certainly clear--I am so thankful that God brought Joanna and me
together. It took a long time for Him to bring us together, but not a
day goes by when I'm not thankful for having her in my life.
God
is the source of all wisdom and understanding, but He sometimes sends
His message in mysterious ways. However, He will reveal to us His
saving power and grace. He will show us the way to eternal happiness.
Joanna and I are thankful that He did.
