Happy Anniversary, My Darling

Last night I posted this on Facebook and decided to share it here, too.

39 years ago, on a Saturday night not unlike this one, in my mother’s living room here on Saint Simons, Clint and I were married.  My mother’s dear friend, the Honorable Judge Anthony A. Alaimo, presided over the vows.  His wife, Jean, accompanied him and she joined my mother and my brother John along with Rusty, Kristy and Robert Schlottman to witness our vows.   

Tony was stern and sincere in his delivery of the vows, and when the ceremony was over we felt very married.  A man small in stature, he was huge of spirit.  For the rest of his life, Clint accused me of bringing in “The Feds” to marry us up right.  It worked.

Our love grew over all the years of our time together, and we were more in love on the day Clint passed away than we were when we fell in love at first sight.  

After my years of protracted and complicated grief, I am happy again, feeding off the memories that are the fabric of our life together.  I still miss Clint every day and I expect to for the rest of my life, but I am building a life without his physical presence.

My move back to Saint Simons was the first step in my journey to re-discovering myself.  Today, I made final plans for a two month stay in Paris during April and May.  It is my next step on this road trip back to myself.  I have a plane ticket, and Honey has an airline-approved carrier.  Yes, I’m taking her with me.  I have rented a studio in a good neighborhood.

A year ago, I could hardly walk, had no short term memory and was plagued with stress-driven illnesses.  Today, I made plans to live for two months in a foreign country.  It’s safe to say that this woman has come a long way.

Happy Anniversary, my Darling Clint.  I will love you forever.

© 2013 cj Schlottman