Grandfather's Columbine

Dear Grandfather,

Remember that columbine beside your patio? No, I didn't imagine you would. I don't remember it either. The last day I was at your house, getting the final few things I wanted and wondering how the hell I was supposed to live in a world without you, I saw a beautiful blooming columbine. It wasn't obviously part of a flowerbed, and I don't remember ever seeing it before, but there it was, bright and beautiful, slightly scraggly and wild-looking.

I dug it up, put it in a bucket, and brought it home with me.

This is not its first summer at my house, and it has never bloomed like it is blooming now. Maybe it's happy I moved that boxwood that was crowding it. Maybe the weather's been different in some way from past springs (besides the pollen--you would not believe my allergies this year; it's like nature is trying to kill me). I don't know. I just know that it's full of blooms and it is beautiful and I miss you.

I miss you a lot.

Love,
Bonnie

Happy Anniversary to Us!

Today is Andrew and my 10th anniversary.

I thought about what to say about that.

• I adore him.
• He's smart.
• And funny.
• And quirky in freakishly similar ways to me.
• And kind.
• And the kind of person I'd want to be with at the end of the world. Sure, we'd both die, but we'd go out together.
• And sexy.
• And my best friend.
• And steady as a rock.
• And I'm keenly aware of how amazing our relationship is and how rare it is to find someone you actually want to spend your life with.
• And I can honestly say I've never once doubted that this marriage thing was worth it because I was married to Andrew. This is pretty damn shocking considering some of the marriage role models I've had.
• And I'm the luckiest person ever.

All of that is true, and it all sounds like Hallmark crap. So, I'll just leave it at this:

Andrew, you are my very favorite person in the world. I have no idea how we got this lucky, but I'm guessing we had some really bad stuff happen to us in a previous life and the universe is trying to make it up to us. Let's not dwell on it. Thanks for loving me even though we've both changed a lot in the past ten years. There's no one I'd rather do life with than you.

I love you. Happy anniversary to us.

Oh, and I'm really looking forward to fried vegetables and a crock of gooey cheese. Thanks for helping us find a restaurant that has more than one vegetarian option for our anniversary dinner.