Memorial Day Plus One
A number of sad-making events have occurred in my life over the past six months. The trouble with sadness is that it pushes you into yourself. Absorbs your attention like a thirsty sponge takes up water and wastes the energy you would rather be spending more productively.
Because I am so isolated these days, I write as a means of connecting with others. The irony in that is that my subject matter is often highly personal. I don’t question that paradox, I just follow where my instincts lead me. Hopefully you are willing to join me on the expedition, and God will provide the compass.
—–
May 30, 2017. I pick up a salmon-colored rock on my morning dog walk. My husband, Jack, was a rock collector. I pocket this interesting specimen out of habit, then grimace a bit. I will lay it on his abandoned dresser and hope that some like-minded visiting family member may take an interest in it in the future.
The gesture is interesting, symbolically. He was my rock, and today would have been our thirtieth wedding anniversary. I rummage in his top drawer, through the large collection of homemade cards he saved over three decades of my composing them for him. One in particular touches this tender spot inside of me that yearns to have him near on this special day. May it stir sweet memories for you, as well.
To My Love
L is for . . . the way your lower lip grows tight whenever you are deeply moved by something.
O is for . . . the overwhelming ache that invades my soul when I try to imagine how I ever lived without you.
V is for . . . the priceless examples of virtue and character you have given your children, a legacy they can treasure forever.
E is for . . . the exceptional qualities of patience and respectful forbearance that make you:
forgiving of my faults
my all-time favorite person to shop with
and
someone I can always trust to “not look” when lesser men’s eyes would wander.
***
I adored you so when we married that it brings tears to my eyes to recall. But the depth and the breadth of my love for you now is my most treasured earthly blessing of all.
Happy 21st Anniversary