An Ode To Marriage

I just remembered yesterday, while talking with my sister, that my wedding anniversary is coming up in three weeks. It's funny, but I really couldn't remember how many years husband and I have been married. So, this morning I took out paper and pencil. Let's see, I count 37 years. Is it really that many? Where, oh where, has the time gone?

Husband and I were married on a cold Sunday afternoon in December of 1968. You might say it was a "shotgun" wedding. I was really unsure whether I wanted to get married, but I was sort of pushed to go through with it. Husband was a hippy and I was a big city girl who hated to get her hands dirty and didn't even own a pair of jeans.

Husband's sister and her husband were to stand up for us, so we went to the preacher's house in a little Kentucky town near Lexington and got married in his parlor. Afterwards, we celebrated by going to our brother-in-law's uncle's farm out in the country.

It was during the afternoon that we not only cut down a Christmas tree, but it was also the one and only time I ever shot a gun in my entire life. I can remember being handed a very heavy shotgun that seemed almost as big as I was. I could barely lift it, but I thought I would give it a city girl try. The guys were sort of chiding me to put the butt of the gun squarely against my shoulder, hold my breath, and squeeze the trigger. I did as they said and found myself almost sitting on the ground from the force of the blast. I don't think I could hear out of my right ear for about four hours and my right shoulder was sore for weeks.

From that auspicious beginning, husband and I have traveled down a long and winding road to get to where we are today. Our son will be 36 years old tomorrow and our daughter was 34 years old last June. We are both retired, we live in a pretty decent house, we have two lovely granddaughters who we spoil a lot, we have six cats who I love and spoil a lot, we have our health, we have a little money in the bank, we have our books, we have our music, we have our computers, we have plenty of food on the table, and we have each other. What more could you ask for?

Like most couples, we have had our ups and downs. Some years, the downs were more prevelant than the ups, but we made it through relatively unscathed. Husband worked for the government for 36 years before taking a deserved retirement, and I worked in healthcare for the last 17 years of my working career until I retired.

During our marriage we didn't take a lot of fancy vacations, but we have been on a few really nice trips, mostly to visit with family. Both our children were able to go to university, and our son had the privilege of attending the U.S. Naval Academy and then becoming a submariner. Daughter is a musician and plays not only the oboe, but also several other instruments. Both her girls are musically inclined.

As we get ready to celebrate our upcoming anniversary on the 15th, we can look back upon our lives and honestly say that we have had a good life. We may not have the good looks of our youth, and gravity has played havoc on our bodies, but we still see ourselves as young. Most importantly, we still enjoy the finer things in life and can laugh at ourselves for all our faults. We get pleasure from a beautiful sunset, a bird visiting our feeder, the cats playing joyfully in the yard, a good meal, the company of family and friends, and the smell of a new-mown lawn.

Our House (Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young)

I'll light the fire
You put the flowers in the vase
That you bought today

Staring at the fire
For hours and hours
While I listen to you
Play your love songs
All night long for me
Only for me

Come to me now
And rest your head for just five minutes
Everything is good
Such a cosy room
The windows are illuminated
By the sunshine through them
Fiery gems for you
Only for you

Our house is a very, very fine house
With two cats in the yard
Life used to be so hard
Now everything is easy
'Cause of you
And our la,la,la, la,la, la, la, la, la, la, la.....

Our house is a very, very fine house
With two cats in the yard
Life used to be so hard
Now everything is easy
'Cause of you
And Our

I'll light the fire
And you place the flowers in the jar
That you bought today

Who wouldn't want to get married if they could have all that?