we will...

Dragon and Phoenix (Dec. 2008, 15 years) - 30x30” acrylic (private collection)

This morning, Ken pinged my whatsApp with a NYT article; in brief, they ran the presses to say the institution of marriage is fading. I messaged him back our usual, 1234 before taking the next few minutes to read the news. Which brings me here, how far back do I go. ​

Seven months and 7 days after our first date. In the winter of 1990, the proposal of marriage did not happen by tradition. Quiet, cold, evening - just the two of us. He said, I want to spend my life with you. Me, what?!  Then, flowing with the spontaneity of the moment, he gave me an invisible ring as a place holder. After it skipped a beat or two, I gave him my heart. Me, Yes!  Three years later, the wedding took place only because we canceled the elopement. More recently, I lost the heart-shaped diamond that sat squarely on my engagement ring. We searched everywhere. I crawled on the kitchen floor and did not find it. No diamond would ever measure up to invisible. ​

Sometimes I like to say, I married up. And, according to the NYT article, we got a license with tax benefits as part of the deal. Commitment is about Up’s and all the Down’s. It’s an affair of the heart with aches and pains that leave cracks, chips, broken pieces that we try to repair every chance we get. It’s more than just, I do. It’s often times about, we will. Live, love, cherish this chance at life. You are and will be my one and only forever. ​

Oct. 10, 2021: ongoing work in my sketchbook #TrippingThisLife3

Oct. 19, 2021: rear entrance area at 121 Vance Street... renovation almost done.

As we approach the end of our renovation project, the one person who has stood by my side is still here. Long before the purchase of our property at 121 Vance Street (Clinton, NC) in June of 2019, we promised to spend our life together. In sickness and in health, the journey continues. Onward, peeps ❤️❤️❤️❤️

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NYT article: The Married Will Soon Be the Minority https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/20/opinion/marriage-decline-america.html?referringSource=articleShare