Thirty-Eight Years as But a Day! (published 5-18-2024; article #472)

Introduction

There is plenty of game in the woods. There are plenty of fish in the sea. Hunt and fish for awhile. Pick one. Settle down. Live and enjoy life, the good and the bad, with all the enthusiasm and realistic optimism that the Good Lord gives you, if you know and believe in Him and know your everlasting future. Toss in a heaping helping of humor, while you are at it!

Greetings, and welcome to the 123rd entry, under the family topic section. Thursday marked the 38th wedding anniversary for Mrs. Appalachian Irishman and me. This entry indexes previous anniversary articles, finds humor in how I fixed my mistake, on our 27th anniversary, and highlights this year's anniversary. The conclusion encourages settling down, after a good hunting or fishing expedition.

Index of Previous Anniversary Articles

This husband has spent time in the dog house, but never for forgetting an anniversary. Since 2020, I seem to have gotten into the annual habit of writing about our wedding anniversary.

This website started on 3/6/2006. The lucky 13th article is “20 Years as But a Day (published 5-16-2006).” I replied to the pithy and kind comment by “Mystic,” with whom I used to exchange friendly barbs. His online platforms haven't been active in almost a decade. I hope that he is well. Mrs. Appalachian Irishman's comment is still missing!

A lucky thirteen anniversaries came and went, before I wrote, “34th Wedding Anniversary: Stealth Mission Accomplished (published 5-17-2020).” The stealth mission was my surprise restoration of the replacement pearl setting, for the pearl ring that my wife's mother had given her several years before. Recent analytics showed that the article had been viewed 179 times, with no comments.

Three years ago, I wrote, “5/16/2021: Thirty-Five Years as But a Day.” The article includes a photograph of Mrs. Appalachian Irishman that I'd taken on 7/17/2012 (my 52nd birthday). She still looks the same this year!

A couple of years ago, the article “Thirty-Six Years as But a Day (published 5-16-2022; article #326)” reflected on our wedding day and included a photograph of the newlywed couple. (I have aged gracefully, and my hair and beard are mostly gray. My wife hasn't aged.) Our 36th anniversary also marked my first full day of retirement and included pithy comments about a point of aggravation.

Last year, the article “Thirty-Seven Years as But a Day (published 5-16-2023; article #413)” embedded the Appalachian Irishman - Podcasts (YouTube) episode, titled “Thirty-Seven Years as But a Day (published 5-16-2023; episode 11).” I got a little choked up near the end.

27th Anniversary: Fixing My Mistake!

This section comes clean about how I fixed my mistake on our 27th wedding anniversary, on 5/16/2013! I had hidden a serious anniversary card and a funny anniversary card, for my wife to find. Check! That was good. While at work, I had ordered flowers for delivery to her at her work location. Check! That was great.

The mistake was that I didn't have my billfold in my back pocket! I promised to call the flower shop before it closed, to pay for the flowers on a charge card, once I was back home. Unexpectedly, I had to work an hour overtime! I couldn't call the flower shop before it closed, to give them my credit card information. Yes, I had driven to and from the office, without my driver's license, which was in my billfold. Thankfully, an officer of the law didn't catch me!

What did I do? I called my “long-suffering” wife, who was already home. I asked, with egg splattered on my face, if she could call the flower shop, to pay for the flowers that had been delivered to her at work! She did.

Once I arrived home, my dear wife helped me wipe the egg off my face, as she tried to restrain her laughter!

I'm man enough to publicly admit my mistakes. This was one example.

38th Anniversary

Early last Thursday morning, before leaving for work, Mrs. Appalachian Irishman said, “Happy anniversary!” I replied in kind, while still sitting on the porcelain throne.

Shortly thereafter, I found the following two post-it notes:

The note on the left was on the kitchen cabinet top. Research indicates that the Moon is an average of 238,855 miles away from Earth. A round trip would be 477,710 miles. That's a long and loving walk, dear! Are we planning a trip to the Moon? I wonder what hiking there would be like!

I found the note on the right on my home office desk. I love you too, dear! By the way, my wife likes to go by the first three letters of her first name. I never call her “Bel.” I call her “George” or “Georgie.”

A couple of days before our anniversary, I ordered a dozen roses to be delivered to my wife, at her work location, on that important date. Once again, From The Heart Flowers & Gifts, in Sevierville, Tennessee, provided excellent service. Being retired, my billfold, with credit cards, and I were at home. I didn't get any egg on my face.

My lovely bride photographed my anniversary gift to her, in the following image, after the roses were delivered to her at work.

She brought them home the next day. Still fresh and beautiful, they are on the dining room table.

On our anniversary, once my wife was home, we enjoyed the late afternoon together. As suppertime approached, I discovered another gift from my wife! She had hidden a card, made in Vietnam (at least not in China), between our two computer tablets, which were on the kitchen cabinet top. The following scanned image is the front of the card.

Our love story continues to be written, day by day. It will have a happy ending. Once our transitions from temporal to everlasting life occur, our love story will continue everlastingly. In heaven, we will no longer be mere husband and wife. We will be even closer, and we will remember our temporal lives as husband and wife.

Conclusion

Yes, there is plenty of game in the woods, and there are plenty of fish in the sea. A young and single man or woman hunts and fishes for awhile. (We date others for a while.) Eventually, we pick one and settle down. (The decision must be mutual, of course!) Marriage, like life, is not a bed of roses all the time. Temporal life brings joy and sorrow. At times, the trail gets dark, rough, and steep. Keep walking together! The Lord will help and guide you through those times. The views from the ridgetops are breathtaking!

To all single young men and women, this young, old man of 63 offers sage advice. Hunt and fish for awhile. Once you've found your catch, settle down. Ensure that God is the central focus of your marriage. Together, live and enjoy life. Relish the good and endure the bad. Be enthusiastic and live with realistic optimism. The Good Lord will walk every step with you. At times, He will carry you.

Don't forget to toss in a heaping helping of humor, while you are at it!

To my dear wife, I close by asking and saying, “Do you want to let this reading audience know why your nickname is George?” I love you, my little Georgie!”