Forty-four Years and counting…

In a general history timeline this event doesn’t hit the radar screen. In a personal timeline? It was BIG. The Hub and I uttered those magic words which welded us together for life.

We said “I do” to a life of discovering each others quirks and compromise. New Jobs. Unemployment. Financial decisions. Babies. Purchasing a home. Shared vacation memories. Choosing paint colors. (Who would guess he could be so difficult in this area?) Sickness. Grand-babies. And the general joys and sorrows of life.

It took a village to pull off the ceremony. My Uncle Cal took over all music decisions. (At this point he was playing the organ at St. Marks Cathedral in Seattle. We were in good hands.) All the flowers were taken care of by two of my brothers who owned a floral shop. (Flowers were over the top beautiful. Note: bridal bouquet was cascading gardenias.) And officiating the ceremony was Fr. Gretz.

But wait… before proceeding, we were required to attend three counseling sessions. It was this lovely man (Fr. Gretz) who told us: “Marriage is not about love. Marriage is a ceremony of commitment, commitment to each other made before God. Honor your vows and love is the bonus.” Wise words from a wise man.

Why those words have stuck with me all these years I don’t know. But they have jumped into my head and kept me plugging along during tough times. After years of reaping the bonus. I’m still loving the Hub today…

Happy Anniversary Sweetie!