White Wine Spritzers and Twenty Five Years

I changed clothes at least five times, finally settled on blue capris and a white sleeveless top with matching blue earrings. We went to Corbins. I got a white wine spritzer, they were very IN in 1985. He got a beer. We talked and danced, I spilled my drink on him because I was nervous and then we went for a walk in Old Salem. We went for a drive, he said he had something to tell me, then he kissed me and Leigh, the college freshman and Chris, the new college graduate became Chris and Leigh, the couple. And for twenty four years we acknowledged April 20th with flowers and cards...and would have today, the twenty-fifth anniversary of our first date, as Emily and I talked about just this morning.

A lifetime has been packed in to the last twenty five years, a wedding, three apartments, a move across the country, a house and two wonderful children. I had thought that today I would have a husband with a newly resected liver and on maintenance chemo to stay cancer free and we would celebrate both that and our first date. And yet, life doesn't always go according to OUR plan. Today, Chris IS cancer free, it will never touch him again, and he doesn't need chemo to keep it that way. Today, I DO celebrate the first date I had with him. Today I see through a mirror dimly, but Chris truly SEES. And that's bittersweet but I DO rejoice with him and for him that he is in the Presence of our Lord. I miss him terribly though.

Today, I chased down a metro bus in a bathrobe to get Emily headed to school on time. Today I made french toast and sprinkled it with powdered sugar to lure Eric out of bed and to school himself. Today I have laundry to do, bills to pay, paint to choose and calls to make to re-enter seminary in the fall. And today, I will have a white wine spritzer. Thank you for asking me out Chris.

Grace for your journey,
Leigh