Well, to be honest, we have a few. Anniversaries, that is. We celebrate our wedding(s), along with the date we first met, and some other significant times.
Originally, Mr. R. and I had planned a March 10 wedding in the backyard of our home out here in the boondocks west of West Palm Beach. But then, one late September morning, he surprised me by saying, “Let’s go get our marriage license today.” To which I replied, “Oh, hell yeah!” We’d been together for about six years at the time, and if the man was ready for a license, I wanted to act before he changed his mind.
Turns out, Florida has a 3-day waiting period between the time you get a marriage license and the time you can actually get married. I mean, seriously? It’s not like it’s a gun or something. Anyway, on the morning of October 2, 2011, we were married in our backyard by a dear friend of ours, a dotty little Wiccan, in the weirdest ceremony you ever saw. It was awesome!
But then, on the following March 10, we were married again, as planned, in a huge celebration and surrounded by all our friends. The whole thing was fun and relaxing and full of joy. People still talk about it.
When these anniversaries roll around, I find myself in a thoughtful mood, thankful for all I have. I was married before, you know. I can’t help but compare.
With my nightmare, I couldn’t do anything right. He criticized everything I did, everything I said, everything I wore. I even opened the kitchen cabinets wrong, y’all. I remember hearing this song at the time and longing for a man who loved me, who didn’t want to change everything about me.
It was different when I watched this today. Because I have a baby who loves me just the way that I am. He believes in me and makes me believe in myself. And it’s an amazing feeling.
I hope you have the same. It’s a blessing, I tell you. One I don’t want to take for granted. To you and yours, happy Saturday night!
Adventures in Date Night 