The Best Man I Know

Today is the 25th anniversary of the post-marked letter pictured above, and the 24th anniversary of the wedding of Bill and Sara. The letter contained a poem entitled “Boundaries” in which after several months of talking on the phone two to three hours an evening at $.25 a minute, I explore the idea that we could be more than friends. Notice the yellow rose of Texas stamp. No detail was left to chance.

One year later to the day, we were married. We had a small wedding in Austin, 21 friends and family. This did backfire, as then all the other peeps wanted to celebrate with us. We proceeded with the Bill and Sara wedding tour, having receptions in Austin for my students and teacher friends, in Davenport for my folks, in New Brighton for Bill’s folks and in Chicago for extended family. We honeymooned in Rhinelander Wisconsin, at the Holiday Acres resort, where my grandparents had celebrated countless anniversaries. I am hopelessly tethered to tradition and sentimentality.

We had three years in our “Happy Townhouse” before the arrival of John Calvin and the building of the house of stone and light. The next three years brought along Mary Ray. Now I have lived here in this home with Bill longer than anywhere else. It started pretty bare bones. We do love our projects. Right now, I don’t see us leaving here. I do see more empty nest weekends south in the bleak mid-winters to come.

In 2014 we bought the cabin. I never needed a cabin, but this one was special, now the hub of friends and family summertime memories. Bill’s sanctuary.

Mary is investigating colleges little by little. Calvin is in Boston looking at grad schools. Time marches on. I don’t take one moment for granted with our parents and our family time. The kids seem to like spending time with us, and that gives me hope for the future, even if it includes Massachusetts or other far off lands.

Ladybug and Hub-a-dub. The house of stone and light. The Little Pines Lodge. Little Calvin K. Little Mary Schmoo. Family and friends. The fairytale continues.

I’m lucky. I married my best friend. I may be showing some bias, but he is the best man I know.