Anniversary

"Politics doesn't make strange bedfellows; marriage does." ~ Groucho Marx

My wife and I have been married 29 years, today. We were wed in 1980, on the first day of a heat wave that eventually lasted until October. The underpowered air conditioning in the church struggled to cope, and almost did.

She was radiant in a lovely white gown, and I (for a reason known only to God) was in a winter-weight white tux with tails.

Our reception that evening was in the city "auditorium" - a stand-alone gymnasium. And, as is typical with a hot, muggy day in the Midwest, the evening was interrupted several times by power outages from a raging thunderstorm outside. The band, however, was quite good - they would wait for the power to come back up, and then kept on playing without missing a beat.

At one point, my new brother-in-law was so hot that he went out and stood in the rain for awhile. When he came back in, he looked just as wet, but felt cooler.

My grandmother was there, and danced several of us young bucks into the floor. I was strong as an ox, in those days, as a warehouse worker. The others were mostly firefighters, and she outlasted all of us. She's gone now, but that memory will be with me until I'm gone, too.

There have been ups, and downs, and heartache, occasional pain, and many, many happy and glorious times. We've had the "for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health" just like everyone else.

I was madly in love with her then, and am deeply in love with her now. She's my best friend, confidant, companion, and mother of my children. I cannot imagine life without her.

She's a quiet woman, but a woman of deep feelings, and surprising wit (at least for those who don't know her well). She's strong, independent and capable - and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I am truly a blessed man.