A journey under the stars…

Kent and I were friends through middle school when life was simple, and our greatest concerns were soccer, hockey and lunchroom seating. We shared the same circle of friends and crossed paths often unaware that God had other plans for us because at the age of twelve Kent would move back to Ohio.

Unknowing to us, God had His stars keep track of us the whole time, because fifteen years later, we would stumble across each other again through social media where online conversations, laughter, and the realization that our bond had quietly ensured the test of time.

After a month of phone calls and face time, Kent mentioned he was coming to Michigan to visit a friend and wanted to meet. Our first official date was at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in downtown Detroit where I was dressed as a lucky charm, and I had Kent dress as a clover leaf. This was insight as to the many shenanigans I make him do…note that he is a willing participant so don’t let him tell you otherwise. (See picture as proof of said shenanigan.)

After a few months, I had the privilege of meeting the Mack family for the first time. Kent picked me up at a church parking lot, and we drove from Michigan to Ohio where we had dinner together. I am pretty sure that Mrs. Mack thought I was completely crazy for making her son drive eight hours both ways just to have dinner. However, from that moment forward, Kent never missed a weekend. He would depart on Friday evenings and travel through the night so that we could spend even the shortest time together—an act of devotion that I will always hold dear.

Before long, it was time to share our relationship with my family. The first time they met, Kent and my father ended up “talking” for four hours straight, and he must have passed the test because my father invited him to breakfast the following morning. Later that day Kent also received the stamp of approval from my late Zio Domenico and Zia Rosa who happened to stop by.

After months of commuting, Kent surprised me by telling me he was moving to Michigan and ended up purchasing a home in the same subdivision as my parents, which symbolized a profound leap of faith and his sincere intention to build a life together.

It will not surprise you that our first disagreement was over the University of Michigan Wolverines and Ohio State Buckeye rivalry. This spirited rivalry revealed early on that we could respect our differences, approach them with good humor, and ultimately choose one another above all else but the Michigan Ohio games will surely be fun around our home for years to come.

I believe our reunion was guided by divine providence and the loving presence of my late grandmother Harmon who was from Ohio. We are deeply grateful to have found our way back to each other and look forward to celebrating with you on October 3rd, and pray God continues to bless us as we begin our journey together under His stars.