Thursday, April 13, 2006

The 8-Year Dance


Yesterday, while celebrating Dad’s life, Donica and I celebrated our 8th “wedding” anniversary. First, the doorbell rang and these dozen and a half roses greeted me.



Donica never met my dad (or Mom or Bennett) but we actually met in the summer of 1997, a few months after Mom died. We met while playing women’s softball first and then bowling, both on the same team. As they say, the rest is history.

The following April, 1998, 3 years after Dad’s death, we spent a weekend in lovely Asheville, NC, to visit the Biltmore Estate and, on Sunday, April 12, to say our “wedding vows” to each other. On a gorgeous, sunny day, we spread a Eucharistic picnic in Asheville’s arboretum and spoke the vows of commitment we had written for each other. Alone, before the face of God.

I say alone but I actually pictured Dad there, officiating. He wouldn’t have known what to do with gay marriage back then, before “passing over” into Eternity’s way of seeing things. But that day I think he actually understood.


Later, after the roses, there was a box that arrived full of these dozen, HUGE, chocolate-covered strawberries. Since Donica can't eat them (okay, she cheated and had one!), they were clearly for me. Omigod! At one-a-day, they’ll just about do me in! What was she thinking?!

Why a dance? Because it takes two. It almost always involves music (you don’t think of Donica without music!). Sometimes you lead; sometimes you follow. And it takes practice.

I can’t ever imagine a different dance partner the rest of my life! Thank you, Donica. I love you!

21 comments:

  1. Congratulations! I did not realize it was yesterday, shame on me. Did you know ours is just 4 days before yours?? (if not, shame on you, ha ha :))

    I want to weep for joy that Donica is in your life, partly out of selfishness because that means she is also in mine.

    The gifts are incredibly beautiful.

    BTW, I awoke this morning having just dreamt that Donica turned the wheel of her sports car over to me (while driving and putting the convertible top up), and the controls were like a video game! I did a terrible job driving. What does it mean??? :) For one, she apparently is very dexterous to be able to a) drive, b) put the top up and c) hand the controls to me, and I am not even able to a) drive!

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  2. Congratulations!! Donica, I'm SO happy to have you in our lives, and Mom, I'm so happy to see how happy you are with her in your life! :-) Donica has taken care of you well, just as she has with all of us. Here's to many more years of happiness, music, dancing, roses . . . and chocolate-covered strawberries!! I love you both!

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  3. Count me in as one of the weepy ones...I am a sucker for a beautiful love story and Ginnie, you and Donica surely have one. What wonderful gifts too.

    And it's okay that Donica had one strawberry. Moderation is the key in diabetes management, denial is counterproductive!

    I'm glad you two found one another. Everyone should have a great love like that in their life.

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  4. CONGRATULATIONS!! to both of you. A wonderful and incredibly romantic story, and what a beautiful setting for such a tender and meaningful event.

    Those are indeed beautiful roses, and the strawberries..yum!!

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  5. Lisa: You'll never meet a more generous, loving person than Donica. She loves hers toys and loves giving them to others to play with and will even give them away when she upgrades. A true heart of gold. I am one lucky woman! Thanks for your wonderful sentiment!

    Ruth: Shame on both of us, yes! But I DO remember Don's 4/4 birthday and yours, of course. Don't we all just love Donica to death! I wish all our family knew her as well as you do!

    But what a weird dream. Hmm. Wonder what THAT'S about :) Maybe she'll upgrade and give you her sports car and you'll have to learn to drive it?

    Amy: Yes indeed to everything you've said. So glad you can tell I'm happy :)

    Dixie: Awww to all of you saps! I love it! And yes, while her # was high last night, it was low this morning, so you're right about Donica's strawberry. I keep telling her she can splurge from time to time but it's still so new for her....

    DW: Thank you! I wish you all could be here and share my strawberries!! I won't finish them before we leave for Germany on Sunday so I sure hope they'll freeze okay!

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  6. Yes! Congratulations! Beautiful story- so glad to know it:) Wish I knew Donica better!

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  7. *sniff* (but a joyous kind of sniff, you know?) :-)

    Obviously two who were meant to be together. Congratulations to you both and here's to the wonderful years ahead.

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  8. Awwwwww! This is sooooo cute, girls!

    Congratulations for your 8th anniversary! And I wish you many, many, many more wonderful years together!!!!

    Those roses are beauties, and those strawberries... My God I suddenly feel so chocolate... I think I have some hot choco somewhere...

    And Ginnie, thanks for sharing those moments with us. All the love in that post, all the love in those comments... well, that is very energifying!

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  9. It sounds like Donica makes you blessed indeed.

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  10. Congrats to you both! Ginnie you are so lucky to get such loving gifts. And so well photographed too. I love the roses and just remember what you had told me the other day about red. Those strawberries look like what we had on our wedding night, but only 1/4 as many. I hope you enjoy them. Maybe Nicolas will take one or two off your hands. :)

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  11. Those strawberries look sooooooooo good I want to lick my screen!
    Congrats... and many many more! Donica is lucky, you are truly a sweet and wonderful woman!

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  12. Rachel: If you and Swede are at the cottage in July, it looks like we'll all get to know each other better! Can't wait.

    Christina: Joyous sniffs are the best :)

    Clo: Very energizing indeed :) YOU are energizing, Clo!

    Tim: Yes, "blessed" is a good word.

    ET: The strawberries are so huge you can hardly eat more than one at a time! I think Nicholas would make a mess of them, if he decided they looked good enough to eat. In other words, I wouldn't "waste" them on him. Save them for those who will appreciate them--maybe Amy?

    TO: Kim, LOL. The vision of you licking the screen--you gave me my laugh for the day. Thanks for your kind words.

    Mr. Fab: Now wouldn't that be nice if you CAN meet Donica the next time. I'll have to work on that.

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  13. I Love You TOO! I look forward to the next 8 years...and beyond.

    Ruth & Amy-one of the many gifts Boots/Ginnie/Mom brings to me in our relationship is both of you! I feel very privileged to have both of you, along with Don, Peter, Les, Nicholas, as my family. Thanks for your love.

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  14. I love anniversaries!
    Congrats to the both of you and a continued lifetime of bliss.

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  15. I wanted to say something more original than 'Congrats' but after a mor than one-day reflexion, I still feel out of words. So 'Congrats to you and Donica and have many more fulfilled years both together'.

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  16. Donica: We are definitely on the same page and in the same zipcode :)

    Mad: Thank you so much.

    Mei: It's definitely the thought that counts! Thank you!

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  17. Those roses are absolutely beautiful! And the strawberries... OMG! Happy anniversary to both of you! Wishing you many more great moments together

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  18. I know, CS. She's definitely something else! Thanks. It really is the moments that count, maybe more than the years.

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  19. Oh James! Thank you so much! I just found your comment in my JunkBox and didn't know you had written it a couple days ago. So glad I found it!

    I wonder if I'll live to see it in my lifetime (I'm almost 61). I hope so. Thankfully, you're still young enough for it to happen in yours!

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  20. AWWWW! Think I'M gonna cry.... :) Tooo nice! Glad I have met Donica virtually! (But I'm sooo late and sooo procrastinating)

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  21. Yes, MP, you have met Donica virtually, which I actually think she quite enjoyed--not something everyone else has yet done! So you are definitely better late than never :)

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