If we take the first step, God takes over and can lead us in ways we never planned. It’s a basic lesson in the spiritual life and one repeated so often it can start to seem trite. But the truly profound is almost always this simple and the case of Dustin and Cassandra is just the latest proof of this axiom.
Dustin wasn’t even looking for a relationship when he joined CatholicMatch. He was in the midst of a “reversion” to the practice of the faith and just wanted to surround himself with good Catholic people. With his job requiring a substantial amount of international travel, he felt dating someone would be a difficult commitment.
He was open to God’s plan though and one night on CatholicMatch, was just browsing through the “Who’s Online” part of the website. “A beautiful woman from Florida named Cassandra was there on that list…It had to be the hand of God.” He clicked her profile and sent a quick hello. Even though she was busy and unable to chat, she indicated an interest in reconnecting.
“I was a small town kid from Alaska,” Dustin told CatholicMatch, “quiet and introverted. She was a beautiful outgoing woman from the big city of Miami.” This alone piqued his interest and before he knew it they were talking everyday.
Cassandra talked openly of him making a visit to the Catholic town of Ave Maria, where she was spending the summer, upon his return to the States. The idea made him nervous, but his openness hadn’t changed. They agreed to keep the visit on a “friends only” level to reduce the pressure.
It didn’t take long for Dustin to realize he wanted much more than friendship. “Her strength in character, her intelligence, her personality and her beauty all endeared her to me,” he said. As they continued to talk, they came to see they were in love and needed to move forward as a committed couple.
Dustin and Cassandra both continued to put God’s will at the center of their lives. It was one night they each prayed before the Blessed Sacrament separately that they each reached the same conclusion: they were called to the vocation of marriage with each other. How was Cassandra so sure?
Before having ever met Dustin, she prayed to St. Therese of Lisieux and asked how she would know when she’d met her spouse. The “Little Flower” led her to understand that she would be given a white rose. A few days prior to her first serious marriage conversation with Dustin, he — knowing nothing of the story — brought her a single white rose.
The delivery of a rose through Dustin was a fitting and miraculous sign for a couple steeped in God’s will. They will be married in July.
