How do you know when to take another chance on love? Especially when it's for the second time? What happens when your worries and fears about the future start to take over?
Well, the best way is to choose love and trust over fear. And that's exactly what Daniel and CeCe did.
It was the turkey that did it, wasn't it.
In November 2014, Daniel sent CeCe a message. “I thought Cece was an attractive woman who looked truly joy-filled. She had a wonderful, genuine smile in her photos,” shares Daniel. He also liked the fact that they shared a passion for the Catholic Church, and enjoyed the same music and a love for books.
When CeCe received Daniel’s message, she quickly responded. “I found his photo very attractive and I loved the way he wrote. It was like I could hear him speaking,” she says.
A few days after connecting on CatholicMatch, Daniel and CeCe met at a Starbucks for coffee. While they were talking, CeCe showed Daniel pictures of her cooking. “She told me that she was making the Thanksgiving turkey for her family, and she enticed me with photos of her cooking. It looked delicious,” adds Daniel. After Thanksgiving, the couple went on what they considered their first date at Le Bistro Hermitage, a French restaurant in Occoquan, Virginia.
They quickly bonded over what kind of music they liked. “She said Rush is one of her favorite bands, and had been to almost every Rush concert. This blew my mind—I never thought I would find a lady who enjoyed Rush as much as I did. And she was Catholic to boot! This had to be a match made in heaven,” says Daniel.
Luckily, the couple lived nearby each other, so they were able met up regularly on weekends. Less than a month after they started dating, CeCe introduced Daniel to her family at Christmas and New Year's celebrations.
From CatholicMatch, to texts, phone calls, real dates and more
After converting to Catholicism, Daniel, 52, had felt called to the vocation of marriage. “I knew the importance of finding a spouse of the same faith, and CatholicMatch offered me the opportunity to meet a Catholic woman for whom faith and life in the Church would be the center of our relationship” says Daniel, who lives in Virginia.
CeCe, 46, who also lives in Virginia, joined CatholicMatch for similar reasons. “I felt my chances of meeting a true man of faith would be greater on CatholicMatch. I liked that the site asks specific questions about what you believe and if you follow the teachings of the Church,” says Cece.
As their relationship blossomed, CeCe says she appreciated the fact that Daniel would call her most evenings instead of just texting. “It made me feel more connected upfront. No hiding behind electronics,” adds CeCe.
CeCe also says that the couple bonded over their “love of books, music and food. We both share a commitment to taking care of our body and spiritual life as well.” Daniel adds that enjoyed doing things together, like attending concerts, going for runs, watching movies, and visiting bookstores. Daniel laughingly adds that he also fell in love with CeCe through her cooking: “I greatly enjoy her creations. As you know, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach.”
Both were taking a second chance on love
They also found common ground over the fact that they both have received annulments. While he was in the process of the joining the Catholic Church, Daniel started his annulment, which took about a year and a half to complete. He says that during the process, he worried about not receiving the annulment. “What will I do if they say I was actually married before God, and I could not remarry in the Church? I didn't have an answer to that question. I put my faith in God and in His Church, and not my will, but Thy will be done. Receiving the letter that the annulment was granted left me feeling like that chapter of my life—my previous relationship— was finally closed and I would able to grow going forward,” shares Daniel.
“The annulment process gave me a feeling of renewal and healing,” adds CeCe.
Bumps in the road—can I really marry you?
Despite the commonalities, the couple encountered a fairly major hurdle. “I began to worry about some things—what they are is not terribly important—that made me wonder if Cece was the woman meant to be my wife,” says Daniel. His worry about their compatibility long-term caused the couple to break up for several weeks.
However, Daniel soon realized that he was allowing himself to be controlled by his fears. “It was during the weeks we effectively fasted from seeing each other, that I realized how much I loved this
woman. She is a beautiful, faith and joy-filled woman who I'm truly blessed to have in my life,” shares Daniel.
CeCe adds: “Looking back, the hurdles we had were normal to any couple that finds themselves moving closer together. You stop and evaluate the person’s quirks and your own pet peeves and fears, etc. You either work through it or move on. We took a break and both realized we cared deeply for one another and the little differences were not anything that should keep us apart.”
Daniel says that they were able to move past his fear because they communicated well. “A solid, loving relationship is built on open and honest communication. Our ability to talk things through so that we understand each other has made sure the bumps in the road during our courtship didn't become insurmountable mountains.”
I burned you some cds...
On CeCe’s birthday, a little less than a year after they started dating, Daniel proposed at Le Bistro Hermitage, the restaurant where they had their first date.
He shares that CeCe had asked him not to spend a lot on her birthday present, so he burned her a few Journey CDs. “When I picked her up for her birthday date I handed her a birthday card and the CDs as her gift, and reminded her, ‘You didn't want me to spend a lot…’” What CeCe didn’t know is that Daniel also had an engagement ring for her.
“We chatted and enjoyed a great meal. After we were served a desert of bread pudding, I pulled out the ring, said there was one more thing I wanted to give her for her birthday. When she opened it, I asked her to marry me.”
"The proposal was just so surprising and special," says CeCe. "A lot of thought was put into it. I love love love this man!"
On May 7th, 2016, CeCe and Daniel were married. They enjoyed a small celebration with a few family and friends after the wedding Mass. They honeymooned after Daniel completed several weeks of courses in order to finish his Masters of Science at Divine Mercy University.
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