It was always easy to remember/calculate my parent’s anniversary since they were hitched in the nice even year of 1950. That means last Wednesday would have been their 64th anniversary. I rummage through the Box Of Unorganized Photos to assemble a little animated gif memory show. It starts with that wedding photo; I like to call it my Dad’s Desi Arnaz era:
I am missing a lot of the family years, 1950-1976 is a big gap. But being a complete chronicler was not the point. I looked specifically for photos of them together (a few I flipped horizontally to keep Mom on the left). 1976 was my Bar Mitzvah; 1980 was my sister Judy’s wedding; 1986 was my college graduation; 1999 was a return to Baltimore on my sister Harriet’s boat. Dad passed away in 2001; that’s the most recent.
In 2007 I interviewed my Mom, and have some audio of her account of meeting Dad, and how he pursued her “The day he met me, he went home and told his mother, ‘I’ve met the girl I’m going to marry.'” And he was right.
We had a party for them in Fort Myers in 2000 (quick, what anniversary was that? 50!). Just for timing, as a gift I made them a multimedia CD-ROM produced in Macromedia Director, with photos and digitized home movies. Of course, now I cannot run it on a modern computer.
GIFs will last longer I predict.
Just in case you are thinking this is sad, I am full of thankfulness on thinking of my parents. There is emptiness in their absence, but it is more than counterbalanced in their presence. And the laughs we had.
With Mom and Dad, Baltimore, 1997
That was a gif? You neglected to make it annoyingly flashy-flash and once again made it integral to your narrative line. I don’t think thise directions are on the breakfast cereal package where most people find their shiny plastick gifs.
My 88 year old beloved mom just got out of open heart surgery–she went under anesthesia hoping she’d see Dad (passed in 1979) in the nether realms–she had questions prepared for him.
Those close parental bonds throw an aura of grace over the lives of their children and those fortunate enough to enter their loving field. Your celebration of their bond tells me this is true for you, as well.
This is a beautiful post – thank you so much for sharing this with the world. We need more stuff like this on the web.
This is so special. I always love reading your stories about your parents. Thanks for sharing all those memories. I still think of your mom every time I see and/or photograph a butterfly.
Thank you Anne, that is all I can say, thank you.