Looking back, there’s this overwhelming realization of how young we were … he was 21, I was five days shy. We were fresh-faced, dazzled by the idea of joining our lives together, and fearless about the unknowns our future held for us. Here’s a picture on our wedding day. (Did I mention fresh-faced? Ha! How d’ya like that bow?) We were heart-and-soul smitten and (using today’s parlance) in luuvv. (Say it with a deep voice.)

What in heavens did we know about love? That’s a reasonable question! The best answer, I suppose, is that both of us were stubborn enough – once we’d said our vows – we were going to stick together no matter what. We’ve had our share of both laughter and tears, and how we’ve been blessed!

Forty-five years is more than twice the years we’d lived prior to marriage. But in the annals of anniversary history, 45 isn’t particularly significant … it’s just one of those milestones on the road to 50. As I thought about it, I realized there are a few other things uniquely related to 45 and I offer my observations on those.

• Title 45 of the United States Code of Federal Regulations:  It’s a massive code related to the massive government bureaucracy enclosed within the benign-sounding name Public Welfare. (The Department of Health and Human Services supposedly has its limits defined in this section.) I will restrain myself, but even without reading the code, I’ll posit Title 45 is neither benign (in its scope) nor focused on actual Public Welfare. ‘Nuff said.
• Let’s talk self-defense. The .45 caliber cartridge is known for its effective power in stopping an aggressor with one well-placed shot. It’s a favored ammunition for conceal-carry license holders.
• Back in October, The New York Times ran an article discussing the potential 2016 campaign (for President) of former Governor Jeb Bush. The headline declares there’s a “Rally to Make Jeb ’45′” … but let me emphatically say, No to this 45. I think the former governor would do well to heed his mother and his wife’s counsel, both of whom have expressed their reluctance for another Bush in the White House.
• How about “Life Lessons,” an excellent collection of wisdom. This post has garnered a fair amount of attention because the original was written by a fifty year old woman, but the fifty was transposed to ninety and you know how these urban legends take on a life of their own. Still, the list 45 Life Lessons Written by a “90 Year Old” Woman, is a compilation most of us have learned through experience. I could’ve used them before my eighteenth birthday!
• When I come face to face with certain life events, I often find myself searching through scriptures. In this case, there are few books of the Bible with 45 chapters, but Isaiah qualifies. The 45th chapter is an amazing passage where God declares He’s going to work through a pagan ruler Cyrus (the Mede). The chapter speaks of how God chooses and works, even with people (like Cyrus) who don’t believe or honor Him. I urge you to read the entire chapter (book, even) but here’s a snippet (verse 18) pulled from the chapter:

I titled this post Is This the Fairy Tale? Like many young women, I had created a mental image of what my Prince would look like, what kind of person (in his heart) he would be, and how our happily-ever-after lives would go. He didn’t ride in on a white horse, but he steered a 1966 Pontiac LeMans (and dreamed of one day owning its mate, the GTO). You can see his wonderful smile in the photo above, and it didn’t take long for me to realize his generous and compassionate heart.

There have been days over the last 45 years when he has clearly forgotten his princely obligations – and many more days when I’ve acted the part of a beastly and temperamental princess – but there’s no question, my fairy tale came true … and as the sonnet below attests, it has continued since the day we said I do.