Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad

Dear Mom and Dad,

Happy anniversary! It’s hard to believe that today would have marked 46 years of marriage if you were still here on earth. I know that regardless of whether or not you are here on earth, it is still your anniversary so that’s why I’m celebrating in my own way.

I have two of your wedding albums and I actually looked at them for the first time in a very long time. You both looked so happy and full of joy and hope in the photos. This year is the Jubilee Year of Hope and I find myself wondering …

What were some of your hopes and dreams when you first got married? Did any of them come to fruition? Did you want children as quickly as we came? How did you know you wanted to spend the rest of your lives together? Regardless of what the answers may have been when you first married, I do feel like I can see the hope in your eyes, especially in some of the pictures of you smiling at eachother.

I love your wedding portrait that hung in home our entire lives, moving preciously in it’s frame as we made our move from California to Georgia and then to a few different houses while we lived in Georgia.

After you both passed away, it was given to me. It now hangs in my home and my children know who you both are because they see you every day.

You are a part of their lives in a way I never imagined but in a profoundly beautiful way.

There are days when I stop and look at this picture and think of it as if you were looking down on me and my family.

I miss you both. I wish I could talk to you and hear your voices.

I wish I could ask you for your advice on so many things like marriage and parenting. And even though I know I can “talk to you”, it’s just not the same as having you her. It’s only been recently that I realized I can ask for you to intercede for me and those I love. Actually, for anyone. And even if you are still in purgatory, it actually helps you get to Heaven.

Dad, do you like how I still use the word “actually”?

(Side note: My dad told me that I started using the word “actually” in the correct way from a very early age and that many of the adults around would be quite impressed with the fact that not only did I know how to pronounce the word but that I used it properly. It still makes me smile every time I think of him telling me that story and how he never tired of sharing it with me).

I’ve already gotten a bit emotional today and am sure I may cry later. There is so much more I want to say but the words fail to come in this moment. So for now, I’ll just say I love you and I miss you.

Until we meet again, God bless.

Love,

Jenni