It's Steel Our Anniversary

The eleventh anniversary is steel, which makes me think of my cousins in Rochester, NY who weld found items of scrap metal into creative pieces of art.  Cliff and Karen have taken what began as a hobby and shared it with others, turning it into a passion that will endure for generations as the artwork is passed down within the family.  They steel are rockin' it!

Today, Jerry and I celebrate our eleventh anniversary; it's the first time since we got married that we are HOME for our anniversary.  Usually, we are traveling.  For the first decade, we'd been in Natchez, at the Bluff Top B&B on Clifton Ave.  But then Neil Varner, "proprietor, head cook, and botttle washer" died and we decided to change things up and go elsewhere for last year's anniversary.  I was not quite two weeks post bariatric surgery, so we wanted to take it easy and do something that allowed for lots of rest and relaxation.  We went to Memphis, stayed in a converted garage made into a small cottage thru AirBnB.  We went to the Georgetown's Friend's of the Library store, browsed for ages, bought stacks, and enjoyed tremendously.  We visited the Pink Palace {Memphis's planetarium}, where we were one of two couples ~~ it was like a private showing!  The local train depot had been converted to a soul kitchen and I was able to eat some of the creamed beans, southern style of course.

Today is special to us always, as it is our anniversary, yes; but why did we choose this day in particular?  For several reasons, actually.  It is Jerry's second marriage, his first wife and he had just celebrated 29 yrs when she died, which was startling and difficult for all concerned.  Their five children were young adults and building their own families, stepping into various elements of their lives that would change and grow thru the following years.  No one is fully prepared to lose their mother, but these kids had no time chance to wrap their minds around this as the accident was horrid and death was difficult.

I met Jerry three years later, when he was 53.  I had just turned 38.  We clicked immediately and enjoyed ourselves immensely.  When we did discuss marriage, it felt like a foregone conclusion, an inevitable event on the path we were chose.  As we were both adults, having become the people we were, we felt that choosing an autumnal date to wed would reflect how we viewed ourselves and our relationship~~sacred, hallowed, and in the well seasoned portions of our lives.

Since Jerry has been in my life, I've become much healthier, all the way around, but especially with regards to my mental health.  The safety and security of the environment that we've created and continue to generate has allowed me to relax, grow, explore, strengthen, be curious, learn more about myself, and become a person who I truly enjoy being.  He's very supportive, enthusiastic, caring, loving, accepting, understanding, willing to try new things, willing to learn new things, and always encouraging.  His love knows no bounds and is enduring, comforting, exciting, delicious, and surprisingly refreshing.  Steel.