A Happy Anniversary

Originally written in 2006, this is a repost for my wonderful parents...who today, celebrate their 59th anniversary.

Fifty-seven years ago on January 1, 1949, my mother and father slipped off and were quietly married in a small church with only the minister and his wife as a witness. Neither wanted the production of a large wedding and truth be told, I'm not sure they would have married under those circumstances!

Mom was a secretary working at McKesson's in Wichita when she met my dad; a soldier returning from the army where he had been stationed on the Aleutian Islands. They began as friends, getting to know one another first, then love followed, resulting in their marriage and setting the course for this journey.

From 1951 to 1964, six children were born; my siblings and me, and we began weaving the tapestry of our lives. Each child remembers things a little differently, from different places in our pattern, but from my view, life was enchanting; a never-ending circle of love, warmth and happiness. We were safe, valued, encouraged, taught and wanted. We were our own community of entertainment and merriment and that continues to this day. Even if we weren't family, we would choose one another as friends and companions on this sometimes joyful, sometimes difficult path through life.

As the years went by, grandchildren were added to the mixture; twelve bright, beautiful people who now range in age from 11 to 24. There are countless photographs of Mom and Dad with each and every one of them, but this one captures the essence of the relationships; Mother holding little hands and in the midst of what is going on while Dad smiles and is ever near for guidance and reassurance.

Because of them, we are us; a family rich in faith and hope and love. We are bound to one another through blood, but close to one another through our hearts.

If Webster were living and could re-define "family", there we would be, in living, brilliant color. How blessed we are that out of all the people in the world, an ordinary man met an ordinary woman and from their love came an extraordinary life.

Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad.....how fortunate we are to have our path lit with your example of what it's all about.