The Other Side o' the Season

Well, hot dog -- made it through Christmas, which was a weird little one, to be sure. We never even put up the first decoration, but somehow Santa Claus managed to find us all just fine without it. The upside is that it gives us the freedom from taking stuff back down! Sweet.

But during this season, my thoughts turn primarily toward the celebration of our wedding anniversary. Today is 28 years of wedded "bliss." What a long, strange trip THIS has been!

December 1979

We got engaged on March 17, 1979, which happens to be the anniversary of one of Henry's former Great Loves. We had gone to her wedding in Mobile, and on the way back (after he was sure she really meant to marry another person, apparently), he popped the question in True Romantic Style -- basically said, "Well. When do you think we should get married?"

We continued the drive into Montgomery, and walked in the back door of my parent's home to find Mama still awake, which was very ususual. She was reading a book, and when I said, "Mama? We have something to tell you," she carefully closed her book and said, "This is the first night since we were married that Daddy 'let' me stay up to read a book, and I have a feeling y'all are fixin' to ruin it!"

;-)

She was either very happy for us (she loved Henry before I did), or she did a great job at pretending to be.

***

There are so many moments from December 29, 1979 that stand out in my mind:

** Waking up after having been dragged out of bed by my inebriated brothers well past midnight with pleas to make them some hot chocolate. This had been "my" specialty for several years -- I made a mean cup of hot chocolate. After I had made it we sat in the den and as one brother sat on the sofa with me, the other called Henry at his hotel, and in his best Southern Law Enforcement Voice, said, "Mr. Lucas? This is tha sheriff of Mungumry County, and we undahstand that there is a right big unpaid bill at Coach's Corner discotechque that's been left unpaid, and we undahstand that you were the responsible party."

I was near to screaming at this point, with a mixture of horror and laughter. Of course, this was before I found out that one of my brothers had sent a "legal secretary" to the hotel to see if Henry needed any dictation done.

** Wanting to kill my mother's dog -- Pepe Le Pooh -- because the one flea that damned poodle ever got had bit me right square on the cheek, and I had a honkin' big welt when I woke up.

** Finding out that my father had assigned my cousin Walter to keep watch over Henry that morning. See, Henry has always operated on Henry time, which means that if he's in the middle of a conversation, the clock stops. Walter was authorized to use physical force, if necessary, to make sure Henry didn't get waylaid by conversation.

** Standing in the narthex with my Daddy, who turned to me as the music started and said, "If you want to turn around and walk through the other doors, now's the time to do it." When I said no, he smiled and said, "Good choice."

** During the wedding, when my sister went to hand over Henry's wedding ring, it went flying down the marble steps... ping, ping, ping... at which point we nearly doubled over in laughter. Her son, who was serving as our ringbearer, and who had been lectured sternly that this was a serious occasion, began casting disapproving glances our way which, of course, made us laugh even harder.

** After the wedding, we went back to my folks' house to gather up some things and we had to be shooed out the door -- we were having so much fun visiting with the extended family who'd gathered there we didn't want to leave!

** Driving to Gatlinburg, "our" song kinda got picked for us -- every station we tuned into was playing Dan Fogleberg's "Longer."

"Longer than there've been fishes in the ocean,
higher than any bird ever flew;

Longer than there've been stars up in the heavens,

I've been in love with you.

Stronger than any mountain cathedral,

Truer than any tree ever grew;

Deeper than any forest primeval,

I am in love with you.

I'll bring fires in the winters --

You'll send showers in the springs..

We'll fly through the falls and summers

With love on our wings.

Through the years as the fire starts to mellow.

Burning lines in the book of our lives --

Though the binding cracks and the pages start to yellow

I'll be in love with you.

Longer than there've been fishes in the ocean

Higher than any bird ever flew...

Longer than there've been stars up in the heavens

I've been in love with you.

I am in love with you.."

True then. True now.