Yes, it's true: Joe and I have both been married before - both for at least 20 years! We each have 3 boys and 1 girl (who are all about the same exact ages) and we were both in ministry. Sadly, both our marriages didn't work out for reasons we are pressed to this day to fully explain except that sin got it's way and the devil rejoiced, but not for long. We both tried so hard to make them work, but alas, they didn't and we were both legally divorced 6 months from each other - without ever knowing each other or each other's story at all. 

 

And then ....

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THE SYMPATHY CARD THAT CHANGED HISTORY!

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Fast forward 5-6 years. My father passed away on January 5, 2014. Joe sent me the famous (still have it) sympathy card that changed history! He had once been a missionary in Africa, my dad had once been a missionary in Africa... they knew each other. Joe knew my sister, whom his daughter had done a mission trip with in Africa, Joe knew my brother - where his daughter was teaching, and Joe's son and my son had once roomed together at a Luther Preparatory School for one year, during which time Joe and I never met!). YES - we knew OF one another but had never talked or seen each other.

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So Joe took a risk and sent me a kind, sweet, plain sympathy card upon the passing of my dad. I asked my siblings (I'm the oldest of 5) if they had also heard from a guy named Joe Dietrich. They had not ... but knew OF him. They went to work researching who he was and URGED, bugged, insisted, and badgered me to write to him. Three days later ... I inboxed him a thanks for the card. He wrote the next morning at 6am and we wrote everyday going forward!

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We met about 4 weeks later at a college basketball game of my son's, about a month later went hiking to the ice caves of Cornucopia, WI, later hiking in Spirit, WI and then... had our kids meet at an outdoor lawn game picnic day followed by church at one of Joe's dual parish congregations in Goodrich, WI (where the 13 of us added a third more to the pews) on May 31, 2014.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two weeks later we bought engagement and wedding rings, 3 weeks later we were engaged in Green Mountain Park, Colorado, and 50 days later, on Labor Day weekend - I moved to Goodrich, WI where we were married at one of Joe's two rural congregations with my kids standing up for me and his kids standing up for him and over 200 family and friends in attendance! We had my mom and his dad sign our marriage certificate as our witnesses!  

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The Dietrich Duo takes on a new adventure to:

Bylas with Brio!

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