John’s first eHarmony communication to me arrived in my inbox on Thanksgiving Day.  Two years later, we married on Thanksgiving weekend, as the themes of family, heritage, and gratitude are intertwined in our relationship in ways no one could’ve ever imagined: 

I had recently moved to the state, and on our first date, I teased John about listing a nearby big city on his eHarmony profile, instead of the small town we both live in.  He said with a sheepish grin, “I didn’t think there would be any girls who would want to date a guy living way out here.” 

We discovered that we both started our lives in the same large town: born in December at the exact same hospital, and attending the same elementary school.  We even have our candid photos printed on the same page in my third-grade yearbook!  However, due to our 3-year difference in age, John and I had never met before.

After dating a year, John proposed to me with his great-great grandmother’s wedding ring.  He admitted feeling slightly embarrassed about not having a “proper” engagement ring, but didn’t want to choose one without me.  Little did he know, he had already offered the most incredibly perfect ring for us.  It was inscribed with his great-great-grandparents names and the date of their wedding in 1862.  Later, we found the carefully saved newspaper article recounting this 1862 wedding and made an astounding discovery--the Maid of Honor at that ceremony was MY great-great grandmother! 

eHarmony did a fabulous job connecting John and I for personality, values, and relationship compatibility; however, we never anticipated it could also connect family friends from over five generations!  We are so truly grateful.