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| Bride and Groom Holding Hands |
Time to Remember by J.Q. Rose
Forty-five years ago today, the morning was rainy and windy. Storm clouds filled the sky with angry threats of tornadoes headed to our little part of the world, Central Illinois. After the rains passed, the heat and humidity entered.I remember that day, June 14, 1970, clearly because it was my wedding day.
Before the wedding, my soon-to-be husband and I were in the church setting up a tape recorder to capture the wedding service. We tried to find a place where the huge reel-to-reel box would not be noticed by our wedding guests and still pick up the sound well enough for us to play it back for years to come.
We haven't played the wedding march, the message from his Uncle Kenneth who was a Lutheran minister, the organ music swelling to the powerful words of the Lord's Prayer, and the joyous exit as we left hand-in-hand down the aisle as man and wife. Where do you find an old tape recorder like that nowadays?
Noone noticed the recorder, nor did they see me shudder when Uncle Kenneth finished leading us in saying the marriage vows/ then said to us, "Now you may kiss the bride." I turned to my new hubby and grimaced at the thought of even a slight peck on his lips because, in his tuxedo in the heat, his starched shirt was wet with perspiration and streams of sweat rolled from his forehead all the way down his flushed face.
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| Kissing |
What a way to begin a marriage--storms, tornadoes, and not even wanting to kiss the man I loved. (But I did!) Good for us, by the time the reception of cake and punch in the church basement was over, the storms were gone and the late evening sun peeked out from the clouds.
Little did I know that our life together would be made up of storms and sunshine, but I wouldn't change it for a million dollars. Somehow we weathered them all and celebrated our forty-fifth anniversary with dinner at a new restaurant in town last night.
I've often thought about writing a book with advice to the young'uns about what makes a long term marriage. I even began asking all the couples I know for advice about how they made it through all those years. I never can actually nail them down for the answer. I think it's because the time goes so quickly, we don't notice the years ticking away.
I've learned we need to take time to notice everyday life and live in the moment. We need to pack away the memories to savor in later years. It's not too late.
Do you remember your wedding day or a wedding you attended? Do you have advice for young people today about love and marriage?
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This Week:
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| Travelogue on Thursday on the J.Q. Rose bl |
See you on Thursday!
Bride and groom Images courtesy of photostock at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Kissing Image courtesy of pat138241 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Quote image from Quotescover.com
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