60 Years...Happy Anniversary!

If you asked me yesterday when my parents wedding anniversary was, I would not have been able to tell you. I had no idea it was today until I fired up Facebook this morning and saw my sister's post. Thanks Tara, for remembering! 

It's not that I'm terrible with remembering important dates--I think I'm probably above average. I've never forgot my own wedding anniversary, a date twenty-two years in the making that comes around in just over a month. The reason I've never remembered my parent's anniversary until now (and I may not remember it in the future...) is that for as long as I can remember, the anniversary was never celebrated in our home.

Considering one of the participants passed away forty years ago kind of puts a damper on that particular memory. I think ten years ago we gathered with my mom and her extended family to celebrate the half century mark. Today, it's been sixty years.

The reason I may not remember this anniversary in the future is my mother is no longer with us and so this date, August 4, may turn into just another day in the summer, a day when "Back To School" ads will be in the media, when the days are still too warm, and the next recognized holiday in which we can have a day off from work won't be coming around for several weeks. Knowing me, I'll probably slip back into not remembering the day. 

I'm sure she told me, but for the life of me, I can't remember a single time when my mother talked about the day she got married. Even when my wedding day approached, I didn't ask her about the day she married my dad. Boy, I sure missed out on an opportunity there. I guess we just assume parents will be with us forever and when we find out that's not the case, other subjects like insurance, funeral plans and last wishes take precedence. 

And so, as so often happens these days, I wish I could talk to her, if only for a little while, and ask about that day that occurred sixty years ago in Idaho Falls, Idaho. It was only a day, but the ramifications of those decisions affect me still. Happy anniversary Mom and Dad! Miss you both!