Michael was coming off the mutual break-up of a multi-year relationship and took some time in prayer to determine what his next step would be. His cousin had recently met her husband on CatholicMatch and he decided to follow her path. The sportswriter from northwestern Ohio only took one month to hit paydirt.
Jessica, a “jeans and t-shirt kind of gal,” as she put it, was working as nurse in the Kansas City area and was intrigued by a post Michael had made in the message forums. She sent him an emotigram. He took a look at her profile.
"She knew who Michael Crawford was so it was certainly worth a reply,” he joked. It turned out they would have much more in common than that.
Both Jessica and Michael are exceptionally close to their families. The oldest of a close-knit family, Michael counts his cousins among his closest friends. Jessica and her sister spent time taking care of their grandparents and Jessica is so close to her young cousins that one of them called her “mom.” Along with the often odd hours both Jessica and Michael work, they had plenty in common when it came to daily living.
“We could talk about anything,” Michael told CatholicMatch. That includes their hobbies, where they both love music and each were participants in their respective parish choirs. He has also acted on stage and admits a desire to “don the mask and cape and play the Phantom of the Opera."
After all the phone conversations, messages and chats, it was time for the potential couple to meet in person. He flew to Kansas City and gave her a big hug as she came running to greet him. Michael felt sheer joy when the two-day visit was over, and Jessica’s return visit two months later showed the feelings were strong for both of them.
The relationship continued to grow and the fact Michael had been open to relocation from the beginning made the decision on where to go easy. He proposed and they are right now planning his move to the suburbs of Kansas City and the wedding later this summer. The shared bonds of faith, family, work and music give them a strong foundation for their lives together.
