Twenty Five Years

Two together! Winds blow south, or winds blow north, Day come white, or niqht come black, Home, or rivers and mountains from home, Singing all time, minding no time, While we two keep together. 

From

 Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking

Walt Whitman, 1819 - 1892

On June 29th, Steve and I celebrate twenty five years of marriage. Twenty five years with my soulmate by my side. What exactly is twenty five years of marriage? For us, it is...

Waking with your best friend. A cozy apartment. Pulling a mattress out into the TV room on a hot summer night to watch movies. Dinners for two. A kitten. A first house. Praying for a positive test. Disappointments. Happiness. Baby bliss. Stroller walks. Christmas trees. Easter baskets. Moving. New babies. Chrism oil at baptisms. Late nights rocking. Trips to the beach. Trick-or-Treating. Training wheels and loose teeth.

It's getting older. And dieting. And sitting on the sofa with big bowls of ice cream. Moving again. And settling in. Losing hair. Coloring hair. Watching babies grow. Paying bills. Growing a business. Trips to Disney World. Fourth of July fireworks. Sunday afternoon football. Training a puppy. Having teenagers. Becoming our parents. Buying yet another washing machine. Christmas card photos. Visits to the doctor. High Cholesterol. And Blood pressure. And one more blessing. It's baby bliss all over again. Bibs and bottles and smiles and giggles. And long nights with sticky pink medicine and tears.

It's dreams come true. Turning forty. Happiness. Grief. Burying parents. Visits to nursing homes. Knowing each other's next word. Kissing goodnight. Another puppy. A child graduating. Wrinkles and gray hair. Not caring. Laughing. Snoring. Santa Clause. And the Easter Bunny. Homeschooling. Games of Four Square after dinner. Porch swings and sweet tea. Saying I'm sorry. Trips to the ER for stitches and kidney stones. It's grocery shopping together. Crying. Birthdays and chocolate cake with peanut butter icing. Holding hands. Family pews at mass. Games of Scrabble and Candyland.

Twenty five years together is holidays and everydays. It's meatloaf and fruit salad. Dreams fulfilled. Prayers answered. Hand holding still. Kids growing. Middle age. Feeling young. Being older. Missing loved ones. It's the blink of an eye. But just the beginning. A love story unfolding. It's the circle of life. Continuing. It's me and you. It's us. The six of us. It's our life. And it is good.

June 29, 1991

Twenty five years ago.

Yet only yesterday...