Wedding anniversary approaches

Our anniversary is in a couple of days. Both of us are astounded that it has been 44 years since that cold April day when we walked into a church where neither of us had ever attended a service.

Our immediate families and our best friends watched as we promised to take care of each other in sickness and in health. Little did we know that promise would be one that we would fulfill over and over again.

I can’t help comparing that simple service with my first wedding. When I got married the first time it was at Normandy Methodist Church. That church had once been a mansion and was absolutely beautiful. The chapel was full of people I didn’t know and a few that I did.

My aunt Kitty helped me get dressed. I was at the back of the chapel when the wedding march began. I started to go and Kitty yanked on my veil and told me to wait. That was the wrong thing to do. I looked around at all those people watching me. I saw my future husband waiting for me. His face was white as a sheet and he looked as terrified as I felt.

The preacher motioned for me to begin walking. I shook my head. It was everything I could do not to run away screaming and call the whole thing off. I finally decided that I couldn’t disappoint all those people and walked down the aisle.

When it became time to exchange rings we almost broke each other’s fingers trying to get them over our knuckles. The walk back down the aisle was a lot easier than it had been going the other way. We had the reception at my in-law's house. Five years later we went our separate ways. He is on wife number five and I am still with husband number two.

My second wedding was a much smaller affair. It was held in a rather plain church that neither of us attended but had agreed to marry us anyway.

His best friend, Richard, was the best man and my friend, Mary, was the maid-of-honor. I wore a dress that my husband-to-be had picked out and bought for me. It was a chilly day and my soon-to-be husband insisted that we wait outside as long as possible so it would be easier to get our rings on. It worked.

I held my daughter’s hand as we walked down the aisle. I gave her to my mom for the rest of the ceremony. My aunt Kitty was nowhere to be seen. My new husband looked as happy as I was.

After the ceremony we headed to my new in-law’s place for cake.

There have been many ups and downs in the last 44 years. Our best man, Richard, died from the results of smoking and drinking. My maid of honor is now in Arizona, enjoying her retirement. My grandmother, mother, step-dad, aunt Kitty and both sets of in-laws are all gone. My daughter has a family of her own in Texas.

Hubby and I are getting older and we wrestle with the maladies that come with not being young any more. Through it all, I am glad that we chose to join our lives together on that cold April day so long ago.

The world is a different place than it was all those years ago. We are also different. There have been several job changes, health scares and lots and lots of laughter as we have gone through this life together. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.