Yesterday, Today, & Forever

Dear John,

 

I'm bathed and smelling better, the cat is in the window, somebody at the farm to the southwest is firing a shotgun, and the dog has his frightened head in my lap. So please forgive any typos.

 

First, Happy Anniversary! I can't believe it's been 35 years. We had a wonderful day, didn't we? And we got the wedding we wanted, in spite of everybody. We wanted things very simple, and even in those days people expected certain things. But we stuck to what we'd decided on: we got married in the morning, had one attendant each, no candles, no flower girls, no aisle cloth, no train, and punch and cake in the church basement. And if you don't count the photographs, the whole thing cost less that $500. We'd really give people fits if we had a wedding like that today!

 

The other thing we wanted was the traditional wedding vows, but the current Presbyterian Minister's Manual didn't have them. So Mama called the church where she and Daddy were married, and took them down in shorthand while the secretary read them to her. So I got to promise to obey you; that meant a lot to me.

 

I celebrated the date by working in the garden all day. I got the rest of the annuals planted, and got everything finished in the front and west beds except for pruning the shrubs. I had to remove stone mulch and pull up part of the landscape fabric to take down some mole hills. Stubborn little critters. I also did laundry and washed sheets and towels. I still have to put the sheets back on the bed - I wish you were here to help me with that, like you always did. But if you were here, I wouldn't have spent our anniversary doing laundry and working in the garden, so I suppose it's all moot.

 

We're supposed to have storms tonight, so please pray for your little family! The temperature is in the upper 80s, but it's comfortable inside because the wind has been howling out of the south at 15-20 mph all day and the windows are open. I pulled the pots up onto the porch and the patio chairs close to the house, just in case. You should see Jethro - he's lying beside me with his head and neck over my hands and wrists. This makes typing a bit of a challenge. The cat, on the other hand, is lying in the window looking out in total fascination. Maybe he'll love storms as much as his mother does. Then he can curl up and sleep next to me tonight, while the dog sits on my head. Aren't you sorry to miss all this insanity?

 

I love you so much. When we got married, I loved you as much as it was possible for me to love. But after 35 years, I love you so much more. I hope you've had a happy day, and that you've thought about me and remembered what was happening 35 years ago.

 

Love you yesterday, today, and forever,

Joan.