When most parents bring their babies to church they don't even think that right there, in the kids' room they can see someone's future spouse crawling and toddling!
I met Matthew so long ago that neither of us remembers it - maybe because we were literally babies. The first picture of us together was taken when we were about two years old!
I wish I could say that right after that picture we decided to get married, but no - we needed about 18 more years...
We were just kids - we went to church, talked to each other, and sometimes for some reason took pictures together. Then immigration happened. At the age of eight Matt moved to the USA, Polina stayed in Belarus. And we simply forgot each other...
For about three years. Because the Mikulich family - suddenly - decided to visit. And we - suddenly - realized that we actually enjoy each other's company! We were climbing the trees, bragging about our piano skills, and talking about life. After that tender girly soul put the picture of her beloved under her pillow. But for some reason she never found the guts to text him using the email that his parents left for them to communicate.
Even though Matthew was waiting... And having never received a letter a few years later he decided to come again. I mean, they came altogether again but who cares about that, right? Being 15-16 years old now we were a little different, but it didn't stop us from starting exactly where we left off and talking like good old friends. We even thought that we could probably become even more than just friends but common sense calmed our youthful ambitions down and we came back to our countries and our lives. However, this time we didn't stop talking.
At first, it happened more often, then - less, but always heart-to-heart. Matt told me that he knew who he was going to marry and that he was coming to visit that summer. And I told him that I have an American visa and that I wouldn't be there to visit. I was thinking "how can he know?" and "is it me?" He was thinking "how should I tell her that it is her" and "what should I do if she isn't going to be there?"
The summer came and we found a chance to meet on one side of the ocean and that was when our first date happened. And then some more... Of course, they were not called dates and usually happened with other people being present. But it was enough to continue talking a little (a lot) closer than before.
It took a few months for the snow queen (being me) to finally decide if she should continue the relationship with a man with such serious intentions. Am I ready to love him for the rest of my life? I decided that I am. It took another few months for us to meet again. And finally, for my 20th birthday, I received a necklace, earrings, and a boyfriend! (An official one with flowers and gifts).
After a few more months of our long-distance relationship, the boyfriend decided that he was ready to get married but Covid-19 made the situation a lot harder. But as we all know true love knows no limits and quarantines so on Belarus Independence Day I lost my independence and said "yes"!
I can write a lot more about our FaceTime dates, intimate late-night conversations, taking care of tons of papers, and long months of waiting. I can also write a few separate posts about unexpected difficulties and God's miracles during my immigration process. I could tell you the store about the day when I got a Schengen visa in two days without an appointment (instead of a few weeks). Or how we bought the tickets to the US basically against the airlines and government recommendations. And how we organized the wedding in two weeks. But there's not enough space here for all these stories.
I'll just finish by saying that at the moment we have been married for six weeks and we're eternally grateful to the Lord for this whole thing. All love stories are so different, so difficult and so beautiful in their own way. But this one is ours - so wonderful and so blessed, so unusual and pretty complicated. Out story of true love!
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