West Cocoa Chat

What were you doing 27 years ago on June 20^th, 1981? I remember getting up in my soon to be 12 X 50 “love shack” and helping some friends repair and re-install a window unit in my trailer. I don’t know why I remember that particular part of the day because the rest is a blur until 1pm when my best man, Buzz, and I arrived at the church.

27 years ago my mom, dad, and Grandmother were alive. My social life revolved around sports. Living in Florida meant that I could play softball almost year round and I did.

A little digression – During that time in my life my knees were always scabbed up and there was a (to avoid images in mind feel free to repeat “Dead Puppies” 3 times) constant scrape on my (insert Forest Gump voice) “buttocks.” In the baseball / softball world that would be a “raspberry.” Like my Sunday night volleyball game the other night I played softball with reckless abandon to make up for my lack of athletic skill. Sports “were” my passion and the operative word there is “were.”

I had met the love of my life, Barbara. She was and is the full embodiment of everything feminine. It was her sweetness, her softness, and her passion to make things (as she still says today) “warm and inviting” that attracted me to her.

To her credit she attempted to enter my world as well. One of our first “dates” was at a city league basketball game that I was playing in. How about that ladies – sound romantic? Later, I taught her to be our statistician. She could tell you the difference between an offensive and defensive rebound or an assist and turnover. Not bad for a girl who when we went to our first Spring Training Baseball game, she remarked about the “Home Plate Umpire,” “Who is that man in the suit?”

I remember during our ceremony that we actually had the giggles. Its tough to say, “I do” when you’re wanting to let out with a belly laugh. No video of the event since it was 1981 but we have a cassette tape if you want to listen. I do remember trying to kiss her prematurely and the preacher said, “He’s a little anxious folks.” Boy, that was the truth.

As we left the church I remember having the thought among others, “I’ll never have to sleep alone again.” As I stare down 50 in just a few months I know that thought was in error but after 27 years, I cherish every night we share the same life, the same bed, and the same sleep.

Like all of you guys out there, I married “up” and I thank God everyday for my Barbara. Have a good weekend family.

P.S. – I head out for New Orleans this coming Sunday with our youth group as we go to support the Carrollton Ave Church of Christ in their efforts to recover from Hurricane Katrina. Keep us in your prayers. I probably won’t take my laptop so we’ll see you next week sometime.

// posted by cwinwc @ 7:57 AM