Oh, 32 years of love, life, and longing

My parents have been married for 32 years today.  Hokey smokes.  That's like if I had been married 8 times longer than I have...



I've been thinking about the love they share, the pain they've endured together, and the ways in which I've seen them
    a
          d
        a
        p
              t 

to each other through different stages in life.

I remember a time when my dad was firting with my mom in the kitchen while us kids were getting grossed out.  Come to think of it, that happened a lot.  They really grossed us out.

Then there were days in which I remember my parents apologizing to us when they had let their voices get a little too angry with one another during a disagreement.  Even when I could tell things were rough, they made it a point to explain to us that they loved us and they loved each other and they were never going to leave.

I remember how my mom scratched dad's back after a long day of work.

I remember how dad would write "secret" love messages to mom on napkins, white boards, refrigerator doors, etc.  They weren't very secret.

Mom would roll her eyes when dad would bring ANOTHER piece of junk car home to rebuild, but then she would also give her blessing, because she knew how happy it made my dad to fix things.

Dad might give mom a small heart attack every time he took us boys out skiing or motorcycle riding or "mud whomping"-- but he always called her while we were away to remind her of his love and let her know that he was safe.

Dang.

I don't know how you guys have done it- or why I was lucky enough to get a front row seat through it all-- but I am grateful

and

I N S P I R E D

by your love.

Happy anniversary.

-Tim