All,
We are meeting via in person and skype with a priest on Saturday who will marry us Sacramentally soon after 4 YEARS of waiting. The date in my bio is not a for real date, it's a "best guess" because of the deployment and living situation. Add to that the possibility of the date moving because he is an Army Civilian, the Catholic Church's wedding prep with a really helpful and compassionate priest working with an odd circumstance, his living situation is dependent on the wedding and a change submitted to the Army due to the marriage, and it's REALLY complicated. Obviously this is a “second” marriage for both of us, I have children still left at home who have been praying that we can marry for most of this time.
1st I need your prayers, there are still cards in the air waiting to fall, and we would love your help in God’s realm to make this day special.
2nd I need ideas to make this day special. We have prayed and worked so hard to follow the Church’s teachings and have not married civilly nor done anything we should be ashamed of, I want to celebrate that with gusto! We may not even be having a reception. I am hoping I can throw together some punch, light fare, and a cake for hospitality reasons. That and being able to have a first dance to a song that means so much to us is all I wish for as "extras". At this point, I just want our friends who have been praying for us for 4 years to come and celebrate the wedding itself if possible. For instance, I was stopped by a Christian co-worker who was moving to another job insisting she STILL got an invite because she had been with me all these years of waiting.
We have waited for sex, AND a Sacramental Marriage for 4 years (read below). We have rarely even kissed to honor the Church's teaching on Marriage. He will be home for a month, and that is our "window" of opportunity basically. We haven't lived on the same continent in 3 years.
Just a glimpse into the absolute pain we have endured for 4 years to live by the Church's teachings ~
Met 2007
Decided to marry Late 2008 (see siggy joined May 2008-Thought he could get a quick dispensation to be free to marry - there is much more to it but way to complex Canonically legal stuff to understand!)
Annulment process started early 2009
Deployment to AFGHANISTAN Jan 2010
Return from AFG March 2011
Moved to a foreign country June 2011
AFG again 2012
ALL THIS TIME We waited for an annulment for him. I have been free to marry the entire time. And to answer all we were free to civilly marry for all this time. He and I decided we would stay within the confines of the Faith that is so very dear to us both.
This is not a convalidation, we are marrying in the civil and sacred realms.
Help me brainstorm to at least throw a small reception together at the Church’s community center for the over 100 guests who have prayed for us for this day to come for over 4 years!
Wish I could call David Tuterra!!!!!