Most people choose either warm, sunny summer months or
pleasant, breezy spring or fall months for weddings. I don’t know the exact
year of my grandparents wedding, but it was November 1st and
probably sometime in the early 1920s. I wish I knew why they had chosen
November 1st, maybe because it was All Saints Day.
To honour dad’s parents’ anniversary but not overshadow it,
my own parents decided to get married on November 2nd, 1957. Theirs
was a whirlwind courtship that started with a blind date on Boxing Day, 1956. Can
you say a blind date was love at first sight? Interesting concept, I believe
theirs was. They were engaged on February 21, 1957, a week after Valentine’s
Day. My father waited a week, apparently with a diamond ring locked in his
glove compartment (who would risk that today?) because his mother didn’t
approve of my mother (a long story but one rooted in the fact that mom’s
parents were divorced: a scandalous, unforgiveable situation in the 1950s), and
he waited for his parents to leave for a trip to Florida!
Later that year, the nuptials were planned for November 2nd.
One wonders why when November is such a cool, damp and miserable time of year.
Today marks their 55th anniversary but sadly it won’t be celebrated.
Dad has been deceased for over 17 years now and Mom is declining significantly as
a result of Alzheimer’s Disease.
Ironically, Mom was one of those people that remembered everyone’s birthday and
anniversary and called people to wish them the best. But today her own
anniversary will pass with nary a thought. She’s happy though and has just
moved in to a beautiful care facility where she’s the life of the party and
bringing joy to the other residents and staff as well.
God Bless them both. I’m certainly thinking about the
incredible love they shared and the strength of their marriage, it was a
wonderful example of respect, kindness and support to have witnessed.
No comments:
Post a Comment