Sheri was at an exciting new time in her life. She’d just graduated from Central Michigan, and moved to St. Louis to begin a career in journalism. She was looking for the right person, but wanted to make sure that it was truly “Mr. Right," instead of “Mr. Right Now.” She was skeptical of online dating but decided to put up a free profile on CatholicMatch.
Her skepticism didn’t disappear overnight—she stayed as a free member for a year, before determining that the nature of her job—a lot of hours and travel—made the online venue her best hope for at least establishing some initial contact.
After going out with a few different possibilities, but not feeling any real connection, she adopted the approach that she was going to establish friendships. This can be a very healthy outlook in an online community (or any community for that matter), and it’s worked wonders for a lot of members. But it’s imperative that such an attitude be adopted for the right reasons and Sheri looks back and admits candidly that it was a defense mechanism against getting hurt.
Robbie, 31, was in the Twin Cities, going to graduate school for a masters in business. As a practicing Catholic his entire life, including a B.A. degree in theology and two years in traveling ministry, faith was going to be at the cornerstone of any relationship for him. He made the first outreach toward Sheri.
Sheri wasn’t overwhelmed by his initial contact. Not that she saw anything wrong with Robbie-- the distance from Missouri to Minnesota just made her think it wouldn’t work out. So she was a little off guard when he asked for her phone number after a week of online chatting.
“I still didn't feel clued in to how online dating worked,” Sheri recalled. “So, I nearly said no.” A friend convinced her otherwise. “It was the best decision I have ever made," she said. “We ended up talking for 8 hours total over the weekend and hit it off immediately.”
Those fun eight hours of conversation led to more and the couple was well-prepared when they had their first date. “We felt completely comfortable with each other from the start,” Sheri told CatholicMatch.
Both Robbie and Sheri had flexible schedules, so they were able to overcome the distance and see each other a couple times a month. They’ve now been dating for over a year and have fallen deeply in love, with the opportunity to see each other in a variety of social settings.
Sheri loved the way Robbie interacted with her family. And they found time to take road trips together, which have provided opportunities for relationship growth not always planned. “There was one trip that I was sick the whole time and he took care of me," Sheri recalled fondly. “He was so caring... it made me fall so much more in love with him.”
Beyond the phone conversations and the road trips and the dates at plays or concerts, has been the building of a relationship based on Faith. Robbie and Sheri pray together every Sunday morning, even if they are two states apart. “In difficult times, we turned to prayer - in times that we were angry with one another or weren't in the best of moods - we would pray together,” she said. “God has kept us strong and helped us to get through many difficulties.”
Now it’s time for another big step. Sheri’s employer has made it possible for her to transfer north to the Twin Cities area where she and Robbie can be together. “We are beyond excited for this step, Sheri said. “I can't wait to see what our future holds and how we can grow more together in Christ.” It’s a big step forward for the young woman who was skeptical of online dating. “
"I admit, one thing I never got used to was talking to more than one person at a time,” she recalled. Now, she no longer has too.
