There are a lot of things that are events that happened on July 18th. Now before I get too far along let me tell you that I know that today is not the 18th. That would be tomorrow. But I am not writing a blog post tomorrow so I am sharing these fun facts with you today!
1918: Nelson Mandela, the anti-apartheid activist and South Africa’s first Black president, was born.
1944: Allied forces captured the French town of Saint-Lô,, a vital communication center during World War II.
1969: Senator Edward M. Kennedy drove his car off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island, resulting gin the death of passenger Mary Jo Kopechne.
1976: Romanian gymnist Nadia Comaneci became the first person to score a perfect 10 in an Olympic event.
2013: Detroit officials became the largest city in the U. S. history to file for bankruptcy protection.
1982: Chris Chiles and Beth Ann Brown were married in English Chapel on the grounds of Ohio Northern University in the presence of family and friends.
Ours was a simple wedding, scheduled conveniently on the weekend between the time Chris was finished with Officer Indoctrination School for the Navy and when he had to report for duty in Orlando. We kept it super simple and had a small cake and punch reception in what used to be the “garden area” between the religion building and the Chapel. It rained a bit during our wedding but the wedding cake that was pushed up against the building stayed intact and by the time the ceremony was over, the rain had stopped. Many of the bottoms of the dresses of my bridesmaids were wet for pictures which upset my new mother in law a bit but hey – it honestly did not matter to me one bit. I had other things on my mind. Like I WAS MARRIED! To my best friend.
44 years later and here we are. It’s been a good life. A good marriage. He still is my best friend and he still makes me laugh (like in the cake picture).
Marriage is work. It’s a bit of compromise. It’s a bit of sacrifice. It’s a bit of cooperation. It is a mesh of mutual respect and being able to maintain individuality. It’s good communication and daily appreciation of the little things. Chris is really good at that. Every time I prepare a meal he compliments me. Every time I come home from a meeting or event he tells me he is proud of me. That’s important.
So here’s to 44 years of marriage and love. I pray we have many more years of this life together.
Fun Fact: The traditional 44th-anniversary gift is groceries (practical, right?!), but the modern theme is gourmet food. I am hoping for some really good meals and gourmet food this weekend on our anniversary get away.
