It all began on a day like any other day more than 50 years ago at a now defunct drug store chain called...
Drug Fair
Not to be confused with the "plant-based" drug alternatives growing in the wild during that time.
They told me that as soon as they saw one another they both just "knew" they each had found...
THE ONE.
So picture this: it is the spring of 1970 in Drug Fair. There was probably a line of people waiting to pick up their prescriptions.
Perhaps a mother was there smacking her kid’s little butt for misbehaving in aisle 3.
Meanwhile...
LOVE WAS ABOUT TO HAPPEN!
In walks my father for a shift at his new job, and my mother sees him.. Their eyes meet… and boom…
Fireworks explode above each of their heads spelling out:
"THE ONE"
I expect this is the only possible way it could have happened. They told me they “just knew” but come on… who really believes that BS?
There had to be some kind of sign, like the fireworks or something.
Anyway, then I was born.
Marc is 16 days old here!
Sorry for being so abrupt and jumping ahead. But I’m trying to avoid some uncomfortable math.
Hmmm... ok. If you insist.
They were married 50 years ago today on February 5th of 1971 and I was born in July of that same year.
Either I was 4 months premature or there was a shotgun among the wedding attendees.
There probably weren’t many people at the time other than the new couple themselves that believed they would still be together 50 years later, but here they are.
Some of those non-believers are probably listening to or watching this right now. So I will say the following to them on my parent’s behalf:
WE TOLD YOU SO!
A marriage does not last 50 years without some exceptionally difficult times
And some absolutely wonderful times
Same dress!
I’m sure we can all think of some of these times right now.
But perhaps the most important moments of a marriage are those that reside in the marching tick-tock of routine…
Like discussing what to have for dinner
Washing the dishes
Hanging a picture
Making the house into a home
And yearly family vacations.
These are the comfortable moments.
When pieced together like a puzzle, result in a truly amazing thing.
These moments cannot be defined by simple terms like:
Happy or sad.
They demand complicated concepts like: honesty , trust , empathy , and yes especially:
LOVE
Of all the complicated terms, love is the most complicated of all.
However, it would seem that my parents have found a way to make it uncomplicated
and as easy and obvious as the math equation:
1+1=2
No.. that’s not quite right.
After 50 years they have their own math equation.
It is this:
"The One"
+
"The One"
equals:
50+ YEARS OF FIREWORKS!
HAPPY 50th MOMMY and DADDY!
(aka Colleen and Mark)