I came into the world at Providence Hospital on February 26th, 1994. Just 360 days later, Bayleigh Thompson was born at the very same place. While our paths did not necessarily cross in those moments, they would soon begin to intersect again and again throughout the rhythms of life.

BT and I both attended Saint Dominic Catholic School. Being a grade apart, it is reasonable to assume that we wouldn’t have known much about one another if we even knew of one another at all, in the early years. Coming from Catholic families in Mobile, our commonalities were not limited to the particular parish/school.

My family first lived in Huffman Estates off Cottage Hill Rd. and in 1996 Bayleigh and her family moved into a home 0.8 miles away on Spring Creek Circle. My family moved to a house on Holly Springs Dr around the summer of 2002. Only a year later, the Thompsons moved to a house on Burma Hills Dr., coincidentally 0.8 miles from my home.

I do not recall the first time that our paths crossed, but I can tell you with certainty the first occasion that I made notice of Bayleigh. It was Saint Patrick’s Day in downtown Mobile. Every year, I would get to skip school and accompany my father and grandfather in the Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick parade. Bayleigh’s father, uncles, and grandfather were also Friendly Sons. Thus, BT was always in attendance. It could have been 2003 or perhaps it was 2004, nevertheless, as we processed down Dauphin Street, I couldn’t help but notice a girl in the crowd. A young crush has a peculiar way of lingering, unassuming but persistent. This would prove to be an enduring mark drawn upon my heart.

During middle school I was a “performer” in a children’s circus. This fact doesn’t carry much importance, but with a theme of paths crossing I couldn’t neglect to mention that BT was the Ring Mistress of this circus. At that time my friends and I would run around through the woods or the ditches and traverse the neighborhoods, often carrying out a little “ding-dong-ditch” against the houses of our classmates. Bayleigh’s house was no exception. Bayleigh and her friends would travel about the neighborhood in a golf cart. Of course, sometimes the two gangs would collide. I did not know this then, but they would come around my street, although with nothing to do about me, rather they were intent on being noticed by my best friend who lived two doors down. To my amusement, for what seems to me now as a karmic twist, BT and her friend crashed the golf cart into a tree in my yard.

In the transition from middle school to high school, my friendship with Bayleigh grew. Although I don’t necessarily believe that romance was a part of my agenda at the time, I know quite well that it wasn’t on her agenda. As the captain of the JV soccer team, BT had expressed interest in attending a varsity soccer match with me. Although again, it had nothing to do about me, rather, she was intent on being introduced to a buddy of mine on the team. Bayleigh and I did go to a few varsity soccer matches together, and she even attended some of my own. It goes without saying, no such introduction was ever made. My approach had shifted in the direction of romance. From that point BT and I had sporadic bouts of dating, albeit nothing that ever quite reached the stage of “Facebook Official”.

I went off to Mississippi State in 2012, but BT and I stayed in touch. Upon trips back home during my freshman year, we would occasionally get together and walk the streets of our old neighborhood together to catch up. We went on a few dates, then later that year, BT and I went downtown to see my father’s Mardi Gras parade and go to call-outs as spectators. Sadly, that night seemed to mark to be the end of the road for us. My mother moved from Holly Springs Dr. to Orange Beach. Therefore, trips home would no longer include our old neighborhood. I finished college and moved around a bit. Bayleigh went on to Troy, and later lived in Birmingham. For many years, the only interactions that took place between us were brief moments, in passing, usually around the Crewe of Columbus Parade.

To this day neither Bayleigh nor I can determine the reasons a relationship never materialized then nor who was at fault. It certainly wasn’t for lack of opportunity. Though we do agree that there was no grand event, no drama, and never any bad blood. Looking back, it seems that the right circumstances had just not yet been presented.

8 years after we last got together, as circumstance would have it, both BT and I were living in Mobile. October 9th, 2021, is a night that I remember very well. I was out for drinks with some friends at Post. Roch Leavitt and I walked out the door on our way to meet his brother, Lee, to watch the second half of Alabama and Texas A&M. I glanced through the front window of Post, and I couldn’t help but notice a girl. I plead with Roch to standby so that I could go in and see Bayleigh. As I have previously mentioned, there is an enduring mark that was drawn on my heart many years ago. And just like the Aggie fans in College Station that night, this mark came to life. Unassuming but persistent, it was always there, waiting to be realized.

What never seemed to materialize in our youth would soon begin to shape our future. The next few years entailed some trials but even more so, joy. We’ve shared experiences with friends, both old and new. We’ve revisited familiar grounds and travelled to new places. Together we have built a vision for our future. And most importantly we have grown together in our faith. All of this has ultimately led us to where we are now. It brings me immeasurable joy that I get to take the hand of this woman in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony. I am grateful and excited to share in this momentous occasion with our friends and family both old and new. May the “Luck of the Irish” be on your side, as much as it has been on mine.