"Theme to Love Story" was a piano piece of music that I heard recently on video during our anniversary weekend and it was so beautifully performed. The music brought back wonderful memories when I was a teenager, first seeing this film on the big screen and knowing that it would become a classic someday! The "Love Story" theme was a nice way to end our 10th Anniversary celebration and fun-filled weekend
We had a blast on our special day of June 26th! I bought Elaine roses and the fragrance of these flowers filled our living room area for many days. We went out and had an amazing dinner at "Canyon Creek Restaurant" in Mississauga, ON. The food and service was outstanding! When I made the reservations, I informed them that it was a special anniversary. When the bill came, we were offered two glasses of champagne, on the house. That was very nice of them and their gesture added to our celebration!
On June 27th, we had our best friends Craig and Marie, over for dinner to celebrate our joint 10 years (and fourteen years of friendship) with many years of laughter and great times together. Their anniversary is in March and we celebrate usually a day or two after ours; as we four, thank God for another year, as the two couples who so enjoy each other's friendship and special company. Craig and Marie gave us this beautiful plaque that says: Friends are like flowers in the garden of life!
I'm such a romantic. I gathered up all of our anniversary cards to each other during the last 10 years...firstly, I put them on the kitchen table where Elaine would see them on the morning of 26th just before she went off to work. I then secondly, moved them to a bureau where they could be seen by both of us and our friends that dropped in to visit. I wanted to make a big deal of this anniversary as Elaine has "put up with me for the last 10 years" and for many sacrifices of financial hardships that together we have gone through. Partly due to my ADHD status and in not been able to find steady employment (combined with dreams of finishing my degree) until I created and developed my own company, working in Arts PR and Marketing and also being able to work from my home office.
Love and security as a couple are so important to me. We both have been blessed, watching and reflecting on our parents’ married lives together after 50 years. Elaine’s parents in September 2009 will celebrate 57 and mine in October will celebrate 55 years. We both had great role models to watch, and reflect on the good and the bad years, as the song states “As Time Goes By”.
Just near the celebrations of my parents 25th anniversary, they did together, the unspoken rule, that couples are warned not to do…they wall papered together! The second floor of their two story house, needed to be done and so the upstairs consisting of three bedrooms and bathroom, one main wall with entrance ways into these rooms had to be done and papered properly! The first phase went well with their measuring, cutting of the wallpaper and watering and rolling the sticky paper then matching the stripes of paper to the wall. The project was going fine and all seemed harmonious for “phase one” of this project
Then came “phase two” of the measuring of the paper for the stairwell and high ceilings; coordinating the delicate wet pieces of wall paper together. One of the partners goofed in their measurement and the wall paper was miss-matched! You would have thought that world war three, started in our house…as the guns were blazed at each partner and there was much “heated discussion” ringing from the ceilings, in their tone one to the other. We kids knew better than to interfere or offer assistance in any way. It was better to stay clear, perhaps stay over a friends’ place that evening and let my parents work out their differences between them.
They did, and we as a family celebrated my parent’s 25th anniversary with an memorable open-house that brought into attendance many friends, relatives and close church friends of my parents; some whom they then had not seen in a long time. We four children tease our parents about “their wall papering experience” and we four have vowed that we will in the future, either hire a professional to do the work, or ask a friend to help should a project such as this come along, rather than involving one’s spouse.
Love and security issues, seeing your parents work out their differences, in times of disagreements, or in times where there are successes or failures in communication; represents to me to a good, healthy marriage and/or partnership. There are times when forgiveness has to be said to one partner or the other…holding onto grievances only creates as the bible says “a divided house that will not stand”.
I get concerned and when I start to ponder what Christina, my daughter's "concept of family, love, marriage, relationship and/or commitment" (coming from a divorced home) will be in ten years or so if she chooses to get married at all? Coming from an active Christian family, where marriage is very important and living together is not accepted. Christina is 18 now, and going off to University. She will be following the family genes and career choices, as both her mother and I have done initally choosing to study music.
At least Christina, can witness the love, respect and devotion to Elaine (Elaine has a mild form of CP that has not hindered her lifestyle at all) that I have for her and the special care that I try and watch over Elaine’s needs,when we are out in public. I am also so blessed that Christina and Elaine get along so well. Christina was two when my first marriage broke up and five when Elaine and I got together as couple. Out of consideration for Christina with our blossoming relationship, at nine, she was comfortable with Elaine, becoming her step-mom. We waited three years until we were married on June 26, 1999.
Next to the love and nurturing that my mother has given me; Elaine has loved me, “like no has loved me before.” I told you I am a romantic; this lyric is as one of my favourite love songs by Harold Arlen, Come Rain or Come Shine. So here's to the next 10 years of continued happiness, success as Canadian author/speaker and recording artist/producer. Here’s too many more happy and memorable anniversaries coming our way in the future. Combined with lots of love and laughter from close friends; who enjoy our company and for me, Elaine at my side. She blesses me and my identity as an artist everyday!
Music in a way brought us initially together and as Neil Sedaka wrote in his song "Love will keep us together"; these word are so true for Elaine and me, until death will keep us apart!
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