Cindy and Caleb made a point to maintain an optimistic outlook on their prospects for finding that special someone.
It wasn’t always easy. They had the problems with the bar scene that so many Catholics have experienced.
While they were open to online dating, their inexperience with the venue kept their hopes tempered. In the end, the desire for a spouse with a strong faith steered them to CatholicMatch and kept them there, even when things didn’t always go as they wanted.
Caleb was born and bred in Tennessee. While he didn’t deliberately restrict himself to his local area, it did seem to work out that way and most of his contacts were from nearby.
Cindy was having a similar experience in Arizona, where she’d relocated to from her North Dakota home in order to live with her sister. Her contacts were in the region, but none advanced to a face-to-face date.
Both had reached a point where they thought about giving up their CatholicMatch memberships.
It was in October of 2009 that Caleb took the modest first step that begins all the great works of God. He’d had his eye on Cindy and finally decided to reach out and send her an emotigram.
This outreach hit paydirt, resulted in a message back and soon they were into phone conversations.
First flight
It was only two months later – a relatively short time for a relationship of such long distance –that he flew to Arizona to meet her in person.
“We had immediate chemistry,” he told CatholicMatch. “We trusted the Lord and enjoyed our first weekend together.”
In January Cindy took her turn and came to Tennessee. They met in a pressure-free atmosphere and were committed to letting God’s will unfold on His timetable. It was only after prayer, discussion and more cross-country flights, that Cindy decided to move to Memphis the following spring.
And as Cindy gave up her hometown, Caleb gave up his apartment to her and moved back in with his parents.
Three weeks after her arrival, Caleb threw her a party that was both birthday and welcome.
“One of my sisters brought her a cupcake with a single candle,” he said. “As she blew the candle out, she noticed something shiny at the base of the candle surrounded by chocolate. It was an engagement ring.”
Throughout their process of dating and discernment, everything felt right for Caleb and Cindy. While their situation was chaotic on the surface – the travel, the relocation – he described the process as a “seamless transition.”
The ability to make chaos seem orderly is surely a sign of divine providence.
The city boy from Tennessee and the farm girl from North Dakota are now married, own a home and are enjoying their lives together.
“We owe an enormous thank-you to CatholicMatch,” Caleb said.
In reality CatholicMatch owes a thank-you in return, because people like Caleb and Cindy who are willing to take risks to find a faith-filled spouse keep our online community growing with each passing year.
