Milestones

Milestones, we all have them. They are anniversaries, special birthdays, first steps, first words.

Yesterday we hit another one in our family. It was "Grandma's" 85th birthday. My sensitive, beautiful mother's first birthday without her Arthur next to her. Her husband of 65 1/2 years. Her special someone for nearly 68.

This morning, when we spoke, and again just a few minutes ago, she said that yesterday had been a lovely day. It was better than she had imagined it. Her children and grandchildren all either visited, or called her on the phone. Her brother visited, and brought her these flowers (too bad this is the back side of them) and a yummy cake filled with blueberries and strawberries.

Tomorrow is another milestone. It is what would have been my parent's 66th wedding anniversary. She was practically a baby when they married.

They'd met in the summer of 1940 when her family were guests at the hotel that his family happened to take over that summer. It was in Long Branch, NJ where the famous Max's Hotdogs restaurant now stands. She hadn't been allowed to date before, as she was only 16 (though mature for her age) but my grandfather must have seen something in this young man of 24 (yikes!) because he gave his consent for her to go on a date with him. My dad later admitted that he'd had no idea that she was as young as she was. But they dated, and his cousin allowed them to use his car...

And they dated.

She went to Skidmore college on a music scholarship, and he visited.

But when it looked like he was going to be sent overseas due to WWII, she left school, and they married.

(I just threw this next photo in. This is me in 1980, with my dad, in my mom's dress.)

You could say my folks lived a charmed life. They had a son, followed by two girls, traveled around this country, and Europe, and bought their eventual retirement home at the beach which was always filled to capacity with visiting family and friends.When illness struck, they stuck together and fought together. They were a couple who loved each other, and gave lessons in love, just by being themselves.

A couple whose grandchildren could do no wrong.

Tomorrow night, we will be going out together to a local restaurant and we will continue to celebrate "Grandma's" life, and this next milestone.

"And the seasons, they go round and round

And the painted ponies go up and down

We're captive on the carousel of time

We can't return, we can only look behind

From where we came

And go round and round and round

In the circle game."

Joni Mitchell