After our wedding, I was overwhelmed with gratitude. Gratitude for what God has done (which I will describe in a different blog post), gratitude for how beautiful the day was, gratitude for the gift of love I received in marriage with Brendan, and many more graces from Jesus. One thing stood out to me, a specific grace that I felt the whole week of the wedding, at the rehearsal dinner, and especially on the wedding day: many people walked before us, loved us, and without them, we wouldn’t have gotten married. All the people who attended the wedding, who were invited and couldn’t attend, and even those who we weren’t able to invite who have loved us and helped change our lives.
Brendan’s first FOCUS missionary, Jeb, planted seeds that he didn’t get to see bear fruit, but Jackson, his next missionary, got to cultivate in him which changed Brendan’s faith.
All of the consecrated women of Regnum Christi who helped me grow in prayer, virtue, and discernment.
Erin Kasprowicz, who encouraged Brendan to ask me out on a car ride home from taking a student to the emergency room.
Claire and Sam Harris, and Nicole and John Cornwell, who played a huge part in me coming out to the retreat where I met Brendan. They also had strong suspicions that Brendan and I would hit it off, but didn’t say anything and let it happen naturally.
My beautiful friend Cassandra Johnson, now Sister Mariella Hope of Redeeming Love, who helped me through opening my heart to marriage for the first time in my life in May of 2023.
My experience at the University of Mary tremendously impacted me and led me on the path to where I am. My missionaries, University Ministry staff and coworkers, friends, and professors pushed me and loved me. Monsignor Shea, Ed Konieczka, the Dinkels, Dr. Chad Litton, and even Fr. Dominic Bouck.
Though this was after our relationship began, working in the foster care system also changed me. The sadness and horror I saw, the resilience of the children, it marked me with a gratitude and motivation to serve with everything I’ve got. And that will make me a better wife and mother for my future family.
I could go on and on. There aren’t specific stories for every person because some impacted us in ways that are immeasurable. Like our parents, who have given us everything; their generosity is overwhelming and indescribable. Our siblings, who have helped form our personalities, been our best friends, and cheered us on. Our mentors, spiritual directors, priests, and religious who prayed for us and led us when we didn’t know what we were doing (still don’t). Our friends, those who stood up there with us at the altar, who have seen us at all kinds of different stages of our lives and been there for us. Our new Kansas City community, who we love so much. It is impossible to quantify it, but for the sake of my own gratitude and understanding of what God has done, I want to try, though it won’t be adequate.
People get married all the time. I’m sure you have a wedding invite on your fridge right now. And while getting married is common, it is absolutely miraculous. God was making the mosaic of our lives piece by piece the whole time, in the mundane, everyday moments.
The story still isn’t done, but I feel humbled to sit back and recognize how it’s turning out. Not everything has been perfect, but it’s all part of the picture. So if you’ve been part of it in any minuscule or significant way, know of our sincere gratitude for you and your impact on us. We will be praying for you, please pray for us too. ❤︎
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