09/16/2026
To Michelle and Jose:
Some love stories begin with laughter, celebrations, and dreams of the future.
And then there are love stories that are tested in the deepest places of the human heart where grief is overwhelming, where words are difficult to find, and where faith becomes the only thing strong enough to carry you forward.
Their story is one of those stories.
They came together on one of the most difficult days of their lives—the day they said goodbye to their precious baby daughter. A day that no parent should ever have to experience. A day filled with unimaginable pain, tears, and a kind of silence that words can never truly describe.
And yet, even in the middle of that heartbreak, there was love.
There was God.
There was faith.
And somehow, through the deepest sorrow, their hearts found one another.
Their journey reminds me that love is not only found in the happiest moments. Sometimes, love reveals its greatest strength when life becomes unbearably difficult. It is there when we have nothing left but each other. It is there when we question why. It is there when we cry, when we pray, and when we choose to believe even when we cannot understand.
Their baby girl will always be a part of their story. Her life left a love that will never disappear. She brought them to a place where they discovered the strength of their faith, the depth of their love, and the importance of holding onto God and to each other.
And then came the day when I had the incredible honor of standing beside them as they chose to continue their journey together—not forgetting their daughter, but carrying her memory, her love, and her spirit in their hearts.
As a minister, I have had the privilege of witnessing many weddings. But some ceremonies touch your heart in a way that stays with you long after the last words are spoken.
This was one of those weddings.
They made a very profound impact on me—not only as a minister, but as a person. They reminded me that faith isn’t about having all the answers. Sometimes faith is simply holding onto God when you don’t understand. Sometimes it is choosing love when your heart is broken. And sometimes it is finding the courage to say, “We will keep going, together.”
Looking at this photograph, I see more than two people sitting together in a chapel pew.
I see two souls who have experienced unimaginable loss.
I see tenderness.
I see strength.
I see a love that has been tested by the hardest circumstances and still chose to remain.
And I see two people placing their future in God’s hands.
It was an absolute honor to be part of their wedding day and to witness this chapter of their story. I will carry their story with me—not simply as a wedding I had the privilege of officiating, but as a reminder of what love, faith, and God can mean when life asks more of us than we ever imagined we could give.
May God continue to bless their marriage, protect their love, and hold their precious daughter forever in His arms.
And may they always remember that love does not end with goodbye.
Some love stories continue in heaven, while the ones left behind carry that love forward!
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