My parents were married on a snowy day in March.
It was a day very similar to yesterday. In fact, it was March 20th.
Except, it was 50 years ago and I wasn't actually there.
The time I devoted to thumbing through the big pages of my parents' wedding album, as a little girl, however, managed to plant some vivid memories in my mind. I studied every face on every page, asking questions like, 'who is that?' pointing to that one bridesmaid whose name or face I didn't recognize. 'Where was that?', demanding clarification on the location of the ceremony.
On the day they were married, my mom, in a borrowed dress, my dad, clutching a pack of Parliaments, both looked young, happy, and in love. About a year later, my mom would give birth to my brother and explain, ad nauseum, that there were indeed more than nine months between his birth and their wedding day. Because, apparently, things like that mattered back then.
As kids, when March 20th would roll around, my parents would share with us, the story about their wedding day. We would all laugh as they told the ironic tale of a huge winter storm that arrived on what was to be their first day of spring wedding. I'm sure that someone that day shared some poetic words of how snow on your wedding day means good luck. The same way wedding guests at our wedding tried to convince us that rain is a divine gift from the heavens. In either case, it's a nice gesture with no ounce of truth. However, like all of life's mishaps, it makes for a really good story. In this case, a story that has lasted for fifty years.
I wasn't quite sure what would be the appropriate way to honor my parents 50th wedding anniversary, as my dad is no longer with us. I decided that a surprise, midday visit over coffee and donuts would be ideal. As my mom and I flipped the yellowed pages of the wedding album, we were pleasantly interrupted by visits from friends and phone calls from around the world. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who remembered the March 20th story. So many of my parents' friends and family had made it a point to reach out and reminisce, as well.
A wedding anniversary commemorates the day people vowed their love and shared their vows. It is something to be celebrated, as it marks the day a family began. Though my dad is no longer here (to take center stage) and celebrate, the story of their wedding and that crazy snow storm on the first day of spring, that will continue to be told.
