Remembering

My Mother-in-law Betty (pictured above) passed away 5 years ago today. This photo was taken the night before we left FL on May 16, 2004 (also the anniversary of my Nana's passing) after we had a symbolic wedding ceremony for Vic's parents. (There were a lot of siblings, inlaws and nieces & nephews there too). Betty decided to stop her chemo and radiation treatments just weeks before so we flew down as soon as we could, along with one of our Nephew's and a Brother-in-law.

We were married (legally) here in NJ on May 25, 2004 (I wanted Betty to know what we'd done in FL wasn't just for show and that I truly love her son & I knew she didn't have much more time) and while away on our "mini-moon" (instead of honey moon, as I call it) up at the family cabin in the Endless Mountains (PA) a message finally got through from one of his brothers that she had passed away. Vic had been somewhat annoyed, even embarrassed that I'd "rushed" our wedding (more on that another time) but after he got that message, as I held him, he said, "I'm glad we got married when we did or I'd be all alone now." I'm not sure why he felt that way, but it only reinforced my feelings our wedding.

Yes, our 4th wedding anniversary passed by on May 25th and I didn't make much note of it here. Not that it isn't a very special day (though we did both forget to buy one another cards or a gift, lol) but it was on Memorial Day this year and I just felt that fact reminded me that we are all part of a bigger picture and there were others well worth celebrating on that day this year. We will have many other anniversaries and plenty of time to make the day just about us.

(And yes, it's rare to get a pic of Vic actually smiling ~ it's a Marine thing).