"NEVER LOVE ANYONE WHO TREATS YOU LIKE YOU'RE ORDINARY" Oscar Wilde

This week I have the joy of celebrating my 48th year of marriage, and almost 51 years of knowing my husband. The other day I caught a conversation on television between a daughter and her mother. The daughter was wondering how someone really knows if their boyfriend or girlfriend is actually the "right one" with whom they want to spend the their life with. The mom's response was, "it's easy-you DON'T wonder. My husband knew the exact moment he wanted to marry me. I leaned over to unlock the driver side door for him (in the dark ages, there weren't electric locks!). In the movie The Bronx Tale(1993) which was made almost 20 years after I unlocked his door, the same scene was depicted in the movie. For me, there wasn't an exact moment. Rather, I just knew (for a multitude of reasons) that he was the person I wanted to spend my life with. Even with the knowledge of his difficult mother (in-law to be), it didn't matter. I wasn't going anywhere. I could and would endure any obstacle to be with him. Not a day has gone by in 48 years when my husband doesn't ask me how my day was, and wants a synopsis even if it's the most mundane day of typical chores. Not an evening goes by where he doesn't bring a bottle of water to my nighttable before we go to sleep. When our daughters were little, he would always help bathe them and put them to bed. He never missed a choral concert, a baseball game, or a tennis match; even if that meant he would work until midnight after those outings. Both of us value family above all else. Our parents (since deceased), our daughters and sons-in-laws, our grandchildren, our siblings, and our nieces and nephews are what give us infinite joy and happiness. We hope the love and respect we show to each other reflects on them and illustrates how special they are to us, and hopefully, how special we are to them. Anyone who has the honor of knowing Jud sees his calm, kind, sweet, rational personality. He keeps me in check (or tries)! When my emotions get the better of me and I'm ready to jump off the deep end, he keeps me afloat. And when he is having a meltdown (which is rare and usually work related) I hold him up. After 48 years, I am even more cetain each day that this man was, and is, the right one. Life would be unimaginable without him by my side. Now, as we age, he clears his work schedule to attend any important doctor appointments I have so that he can listen and advocate for me. And, then, assure me after the appointment, that everything is fine! And I, too, do the same for him. Now that we don't attend our daughter's games any longer, he now attends the grandkids soccer, lacrosse, softball, baseball, and tennis lessons and matches, with the same enthusiasm and gusto he did for our daughters. My parents had an amazing marriage. They adored one another and showed their love to the world (sometimes ad nauseam)! I always hoped I would find that type of love in my life. Guess what? I did! "Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other." (Dalai Lama) "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." (Maya Angelo). Jud, you continue to make me feel loved every minute of every day. HAPPY 48TH ANNIVERSARY-I adore you. "AND IN THE END THE LOVE YOU TAKE IS EQUAL TO LOVE YOU MAKE" Paul McCartney PEACE OUT-ONE B