40 Years Later

Once upon a time there was a very young Princess and a handsome, kind of older Prince. They fell in love the first time their eyes met and decided to get married, have a castle full of beautiful children, and live happily ever after, surrounded by loving relatives, wonderful friends, and blissful moments.

I don’t think so. That kind of story belongs to Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan in a Nora Ephron movie. Our story doesn’t even make the Fairy Tale section in the back corner of a rundown library. We had rough beginnings, terrible middles and life still keeps handing us challenging moments.

If we didn’t experience all those trials and tribulations of marriage, children, ex’s, in-laws, family, religion, unpaid bills, late charges, paycheck to paycheck years, arguments, addictions, failures, losses, births, deaths, betrayals and all of the other hardships of life we would not have learned the lessons that, I believe, we are here to learn.

The one constant through all of our trying experiences is that we started out as friends and we remain goods friends. We have shared all of the emotions of life, together, and we have survived and learned that no matter what is handed to us we can manage as long as we have the one thing that most people forget about…respect. That, my dear, is why we are still married. Okay, that and the fact that you have the best set of legs I’ve ever seen in my whole life!

I have always said, “Life is definitely not the Donna Reed show.” And it certainly has not been for us. But, we have learned a lot and have come a long way. Now, anger does not have to be explosive, fear and worries are calmed down with a talk in the quiet room, guilt and jealousy are no longer necessary. We have learned the true meaning of family, and friends, and that most of “the other stuff” can be solved with a pound of See’s candy. Okay, two bites of See’s candy.Besides all this, it has given me plenty of characters and situations to write about for which I am ever so grateful.

Thank you for taking this journey with me.

I love you still, Wifey

…to be continued…