Seven Years Married, No Itches

I have been so busy living my life that I have not taken any time to share the stories generated by that life. Many things have happened since I last wrote about anything. My best friend from college days passed away Thursday from cancer which she had been battling for several years. I am glad that her suffering is finally over, and that I had time to visit and play with her one more time on this earth. I will miss her terribly: her sense of caring, her interest in me and my family, her laughter, and the laughter she caused in me with her poetry, her fine sense of humor, and her love for me.

Sunday I returned from a wonderful mini-reunion of college classmates from Northrop House (Smith College, Northampton, MA) in Chicago. That will be worth a posting for several reasons. But today I want to celebrate my wonderful husband. He let me go off to Chicago with my friends (one of whom I had not seen in over forty years!) when it was our anniversary weekend. I was sent off with grace and the knowledge that we would meet again at our home on the Rappahannock River, God willing, for the actual anniverary date, October 24th.

Seven years married now, and more in love than ever. I celebrate my husband for his caring, gentle ways. He is the most patient man I know. And patient is the first thing that love is (I Corinthians 13). William planned a most wonderful time for us. We were alone together, walking over the land, admiring the river, holding hands, dancing to our special song (We've Only Just Begun), sipping champagne and he even prepared the smoked salmon with a horseradish sauce he concocted (and this man does not cook), with toast and fresh lemon juice! He had thoughtfully purchased things from the grocery store which he could fix for us, and we had flowers and candlelight, music and the sound of the rain which began to fall just after we returned from our long walk through the Secret Garden and the perennial garden, after stopping to talk to the trees.

William brought me breakfast in bed, complete with cloth napkin topped by a yellow hibiscus bloom. And that night I wore my wedding dress (which I had requested he bring from home) as William surprised me by appearing in a navy double-breasted velvet smoking jacket I had bought for him some time back. Complete with ascot and spiffy shirt, he cut a dashing figure, despite the blue jeans covering the lower half of his person. It has been a most peaceful time, especially contrasted with the rush of Chicago and the big city hubbub. We reviewed our life together and discussed the future we want to have. We have laughed much, eaten well, danced delightedly, and held and touched each other often. Life is good.

I just finished reading MARGIN, Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives, the book by Richard Swenson, M.D. I plan to give it to every person I love who could benefit from its timeless wisdom. William and I enjoyed a most peaceful interlude here at the River, and it could not be a more fitting beginning to practicing having more margin in our lives. Thank you, Father.