Their Anniversary

My parents were married 52 years ago today...on February 16, 1957. Today is a bittersweet day for me...still missing my Dad so much...but also having so much gratitude for the 51 plus years of marriage that they shared.

Back to 1957, country boy marries city girl. They had dated and saved their pennies for 5 years before they could afford to get married. They were both 26 years old.

They had a small wedding in St. Paul, it was an icy cold day. My mom was too nervous to walk down the aisle in front of a big crowd so the wedding was small. I know that I am biased, but I think that they were a pretty darn good looking couple! I also think that Brian is looking more and more like my dad.

My mom's brother Jerry and her sister Joan stood up for them. The reception was at my mom's parents home in St. Paul.

The picture below is my folks at their 25th anniversary party with my brother and me. The party was small, mostly family. I remember that they got their first color TV as an anniversary gift. I grew up not realizing that the Wizard of Oz switched from black and white to color when Dorothy woke up and realized that she wasn't in Kansas anymore....not that that has anything to do with anything!

We threw a big party for my parents 50th anniversary. It seemed like a lot of work at the time...but I am so glad that we did it. We rented a local town hall. We went there the night before and set up for and decorated for the party. There were photo boards to put up, food to prepare. I had made a slide show to music highlighting their lives together. I didn't let them see it until the night before, when the decorating was all done. These are pictures of us watching that slide show. I love the smiles.

This is a picture of my Dad checking to see what my Mom's reaction is to the slide show. He always cared about what the people he loved were thinking and feeling...a little bit of that shows on this picture. That's Eric's Dad sitting between my folks. Our parents are friends and always so willing to share in whatever is going on. How lucky are we to have family's like that?

The day of the party there were balloons to be inflated. Of course my Dad pitched in. I love this picture of him...in a suit with his big farmer hands tying a balloon. I grew up knowing that my Dad could do anything....I still think I was right.

My parents were so happy to have a party. It was quite a celebration. Lots of love was shared.

Memories were shared. This is a picture of my folks with their wedding party Jerry and Joan...and my brother and me.

Some good natured ribbing.

I don't remember the joke...but I remember the laughing, the love and the joy.

Here's the whole family minus my niece Danielle...she was stuck in Bemidji in an ice storm that day. Look at how much Billy has grown in two short years...he's taller than me now.

Like I said, putting on the party seemed like a lot of work at the time...but now that my Dad is gone...I am so, so glad that we did it. We celebrated their life together, we celebrated family, we celebrated the love that they have shared so generously with us and we celebrated with all of the people that they have touched through out the years.

It was a day filled with love and laughter...reflecting the love and laughter that they shared in their marriage. What a gift. Celebrate your loved ones every chance you get. You won't regret it.