Happy Anniversary!

 

To my Beautiful Bride,

Thirty years ago today, on an equally cold January day, you made me the happiest man in the world by marrying me and committing to spending the rest of your life with me, happily ever after, for as long as we both shall live.

We committed to blending our families and to raising and loving all our children together, as ours, as best as we could.

 

 

Although our parents did seem to consider it more of a corporate merger.

The “happily ever after” part didn’t come easily. We had to work hard at making our marriage work. We had some very tough times. We both had days when we were just one sharp word from the other away from calling it quits. But we always worked it out, because underneath all the distractions and aggravations, we deeply and truly loved each other, and we’d learned from the mistakes we’d both made when we were younger.

In time, our family grew older…

and larger…

and we grew older too, but we didn’t mind, because we had each other, to have and to hold.

 

 

Our children became adults…

and left the nest to begin lives and families of their own.

 

Together we shared wonderful joys…

 

 

and heart-breaking sorrows.

We shared adventures, some remarkable…

 

 

and some ridiculous.

We faced terrifying challenges.

 

 

But we faced them together, because deep down, those two kids who first met on a beach in 1969—

remained two teenagers in love—

for all their lives.

I like to think I made you happy.

You always said you wanted us to grow old together.

 
Unfortunately, you got there first.
 

I realize you stayed with me as long as you could. You didn’t have a choice in the matter.

But now that the Bruce & Karen story is over, all I want to do is go back to Page 1 and live it all again. Only this time, I’d marry you at least 15 years earlier. I’m thinking The Year of the Hideous Plaid Pants would have been about the right time. 

I wish we’d had more time together, so that I could have loved you more. 

Happy Anniversary, my Beautiful Angel! I hope you’re having champagne in Heaven tonight!

Then again, if they don’t have champagne in Heaven, I think the whole idea of the place has been seriously oversold.