Almost Golden

Today is my mom and dad's 49th wedding anniversary. I can imagine that beautiful June day in 1960, my dad's young face, my mother's tiny waist, walking the grounds of the Salt Lake Temple, with Arch and Ginny, Ellsworth and Dorothy, looking on. Who would have imagined, 49 years later, a brood of 7 children and 23 grandchildren, all who admire you and are becoming all that you are.

Thank you for staying together and providing a safe home. Thank you for that small kiss between you that we witnessed every day before you went to work. Thank you for all of your sacrifices, your late, worrisome nights, your prayers and your talks. 

Thank you for making us feel rich when we were poor and being modest when we were rich. Thank you camping, and homemade cookies, for fixing our bikes and buying our prom dresses. 

For dad, thank you for helping me with my garden and our home, for being our on-call handyman and advice-giver. Thank you for teaching me not to be afraid of work, and that a little sweat can be a good thing. Thank you for teaching us in the gospel, and for your good example.

For mom, thank you for somehow knowing when I've cried, for your tender hugs and prayers, for your passionate alliance with each one of us. Thank you for the thousands of loads of laundry, the cheers from the stands, and for defending us always. You are the ultimate mother bear: tender, nurturing, and fierce. 

I cannot imagine a time when you would not be with us. Here's to may more years together.