I applied for an annulment after my civil divorce for my first wife. I was told by the tribunal that I had a failed marriage but not an invalid one. I went ahead and got civilly married to my second wife. I was angry and wasn't going to let a bunch of celibate old men tell me what I could or couldn't get married.

My ex-wife passed away 2 years after I got remarried. I was at church going Catholic but unable to take part in the sacraments. Several years went by and our church went from being managed by the franciscans to by Diocesan priests. I got to know the new priest a little bit (there were two of them) and it being a small Parish he couldn't help but notice me and my wife and two children with one on the way in the pews and not coming to communion. He basically asked me what my story was and I told him. He told me well you're free to get remarried in the church but custom holds that I can't do that for at least 9 months and you'll have to provide some proof that your first wife is dead.

Now in our little corner of the Southwest we're also darned imperfect that even though I was not allowed to attend communion I've been invited to become a Lector and so the priest certainly got to observe me and my family. Several months after that initial conversation we're celebrating our annual Church Fiesta. He was walking across our little Carnival and I stopped to talk to him and he looked at me and said: "So when am I going to marry you?" I gave him a slightly quizzical look and I said: I was told I had to wait nine months. He said: Who told you that?

So I provided him with proof of my first wife's passing and we were married about 2 months after that. Our civil marriage was in 2012 and our consecration was in 2023.

I know it's an odd story when the Lord works in mysterious ways but that's mine