Hello! We are David and Julie Shaner. We started dating in July of 1995. How we met depends on who you ask; but regardless of the minor details, that summer evening led to us FINALLY getting married on January 13, 2001. And, despite the rainstorm and blizzard on our wedding day, it was the most perfect beginning to 25 years of marriage!
Twenty four of the past 25 years have, for the most part, revolved around the wants and needs of our pride and joy…our children! We have been blessed with 3 amazing kids. Eli is 24 and lives in Michigan, where he works as a mechanical engineer. Olivia is 21, and she is a Senior in nursing school at Rockhurst University. Lucy is 19; she is just getting ready to begin her Freshman year at Benedictine College where she, too, plans to pursue a nursing degree.
With our baby heading off to college this fall, we (like you) are finding ourselves in a new stage of life. While this period of change for us comes with some grief and anxiety, we also have a sense of excitement and wonder about what God has in store for us next. In good Ignatian fashion, we are refraining from making any major changes right now. We plan to continue doing the things we do (work) and love (spending time with family and friends, volunteering, boating, golfing, and traveling); and, we’ll just wait and see where the Holy Spirit leads us next!
When we were initially asked to be a Marriage Mentor Couple, we questioned if we were qualified for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, while we continue to say “I do” to each other 25 years later, we know we have not always loved each other as well as we should have…nevertheless, we just keep trying! Our second reservation was the fact that David is not officially Catholic. While he has- attended Mass nearly every Sunday since we were married, fully supported and taken part in the raising of our kids in the Church, volunteered many hours at the Church, and attended many Bible studies and events at the Church- David has made the personal decision to not receive all of the Sacraments offered through the Catholic Church. But the truth of the matter is that this challenge for us has played a huge role in helping us to grow in faith- individually, as a couple, and as a family. We see this challenge as a wonderful part of God’s plan for our salvation, and for that of our kids. As is the way with most things in marriage, the commitment to weather this challenge together has truly lead to more faith, more love, more joy, and more peace! And, therefore, we have decided it’s worth sharing with people like you!
As you begin this next chapter together, our advice to you is to simply place God at the center of your relationship, and He will take care of the rest! We look forward to meeting and walking alongside you as you journey towards marriage!
