19 Years ago today

Time goes by but it doesn’t feel like it does. Lily and I have been married for 19 years today.

What was it like back then?

• 19 years ago I was threatening Lily’s maid of honor with physical harm for being late and holding us up.

It all worked out for the best and we’re still great friends.

• 19 years ago my best man was making jokes on the altar while I was attempting to look serious in a rented monkey suit.

It was a Catholic mass. When he got married in a Tibetan Buddhist ceremony I paid him back by standing next to him and treating the priest’s chanting like it was something you dance to.

• 19 years ago Father Felix’s homily described our future life as me being married to June Cleaver.

We laughed as she’s not like that at all and none of the women in my family are either. That is such a good thing. I like being married to a modern woman.

• 19 years ago Lily and I almost dropped to the floor coming down the aisle together.

Her family thought those loud party poppers were a good idea in said Catholic church. That’s how they ended the ceremony with organ music and a big bang. We thought people were shooting at us.

It’s all the same and it’s all different.

There have been changes in the scenery meaning we’ve moved.

Our family has gained and lost members in that time and not everyone is still with us from that day. I don’t like to dwell on that as I learned too early that life goes on.

We’ve a boy and a girl. Raising a daughter scares me. I grew up with 3 brothers and a squad of cousins, there were very few girls in my family. Our son is a handful but so was I.

We’ve both changed but we’ve both stayed exactly the same. I’ve always felt like I have known her my entire life and I totally mistake that she wasn’t around for the first 21 years.

We usually don’t celebrate our anniversaries and we laugh together when we realize that we’ve missed one again.

19 years of being married? I would not change a thing and would do it all over again without hesitation. That’s got to be the best recommendation for married life that I can say. It’s been great and I’m still head over heels crazy for her.

Even though she’s married to a big kid I’m reasonably confident she feels the same way. I’ll ask her again, you know, just to make sure.

In our time together I’ve learned to reach for the stars and I look forward to at least 50 more anniversaries to come.

50 years is a good target. With Lily I can accomplish anything.