Anniversary Today

Here is our son, Chris, receiving a birthday gift from his three year old daughter, Caroline. She had collected some perfectly white stones from a driveway we were walking past earlier in the day, and she knew this would be the perfect birthday gift for her dad. Her brother, Joe, has his eye on the chocolate pendant he gave his dad, hoping he'll share it.

This day is also our 49th wedding anniversary. Forty-four years ago we were in a hospital giving birth to this man who is now a father. Tonight I thank god I am not in labor, but in a local restaurant eating salmon and reminiscing with my old spouse about the good times and the bad- and how we got over them. The best thing is our kids and our grandchildren. We are so fortunate to be still closely connected to all of them, funny and weird as they and all of us are.

We have been so blessed! What a wonderful trip it has been with Andy the grandpa, the spouse, the main provider, the maker of things and the most interesting person I know. He's the person who is comfortable in the White House and in our house as he vacuums and dusts and fixes the plumbing. We have been to all the world's continents in all kinds of situations. We have had audiences with heads of states and we have camped in primitive conditions. We have dealt with cancer and end of life issues with our parents, and the deaths of siblings. We have talked our heads off and worried beyond sanity about our children and the state of the world.

There were quite a few times when we didn't think we would make this marriage work. Somehow, it did. We have too much history now to abandon such an interesting relationship. Both of us had compellingly interesting work and a wonderful family of three children and many more kids who came to us from time to time.

I celebrate this day, my oldest son's birthday, and our anniversary of a most intensely interesting and loving marriage.