A day to remember

Had Sam lived, today would have been my 42nd wedding anniversary. We had 29 good years together laughing, traveling, playing and teaching--all things we both loved. And of course, the best thing to come out of it was Brandon Scott Thomas, the love of our lives.

We celebrated our first anniversary on the day Kennedy was shot. What a day to remember. I was teaching English at Eula High School when the superintendent came in and said that school was cancelled for the next two days because of the death. My class and I just stared at each other for a long while and finally we let out a large collective sigh and filed out of the room. We couldn't wait to get home to the television news. It was certainly a weekend when television news came into its own--we all watched every minute of the coverage with tears and real thoughts about what was happening to our world. It was the most unimaginable thing to have this young vigorous popular president gone in a moment AND FOR IT TO HAPPEN IN TEXAS! And to watch the young courageous widow say good-bye was so sad.

And then 28 years later, I had to say good-by to my wonderful "Hon" and begin a new phase of my life. I am not the same person I was 13 years ago--Brandon says I look better (Thanks Babe!); I know I am a stronger, deeper follower of Christ; I know that I have changed many of the theological ideas and beliefs I had, and that
"is a good thing."

Thank you Lord for the years I had with Sam and those years which followed without him. You are my strength and light.