This was originally written as a comment on my diary earlier today, yet one more romantic anniversary - I thought I would put it up separately in case it might speak to those unlikely to see it in its original location
it can bring some real joy back into life
we have the day we encountered one another at the train station
we have the day of our first "date" - today
we have the day I told her I loved her
we have the day she told me she loved me
we have the day we officially decided to get engaged and after explaining why we really couldn't afford the star sapphire with which she had fallen in love, I went in and bought it as her engagement ring
we of course have Dec 29, the date we were married formally
we have the dates we got each of our five cats (three on one day)
we can pull out photos and revisit our honeymoon - one night in Virginia, two nights in California, and a week in Tahiti, Moorea and Bora-Bora
we can remember a trip together before we were married to Germany, Austria, briefly in Switzerland and across France to England
we can remember the famous trip we took for her birthday through the Southern Mountains, ending at the Inn at Little Washington
there is the trip to Coolfont on which she took me for my 50th birthday - and as we checked in, in the next line was William Rehnquist
there is so much in any life together worth remembering and celebrating - it helps carry us through the times when things may be more difficult
we can remember some of those dark times - when she was worried about possible breast cancer, and all else stopped so I could support her
when I had surgery to remove a brachial cleft cyst that by the time of the surgery was 10 centimeters long - and my surgeon then was sure it was going to be malignant - it wasn't
there was the Christmas eve day spent at Washington Hospital Center because first a regular stress test and then a nuclear stress test had seemed to indicate coronary artery blockage, but fortunately it turned out that after the angiogram on Christmas eve day, other than some soreness in my chest I had no difficulties
Life is full of experiences. So many are worth stopping and remembering. It can help to remind us why we stay in relationships that at time can stretch us.
Peace.