A lot happened in those two years. One thing was that he received his draft notice the same week we met. He left for basic training in July, and I came home from work that day to a single yellow rose in a vase. For years afterward, no matter what flowers he sent to me, a yellow rose was always included in the bouquet.
We've been married 49 years and two days now. I mentioned above that a lot happened in the two years before we married--just imagine how much has happened since! A marriage that long has weathered...well, a lot. We've had losses, fights, and emotional withdrawals from each other. More than a few times, one of us has looked at the other and wondered just who in the hell that was across the table, because it certainly wasn't the person we intended to spend our lives with.
Some marriage days, we agree, have been very, very long and hard. But the years have been far too short and they're going by way too fast.
I have a notoriously black thumb, so I only plant annual flowers and hope they'll give a few weeks of pleasure before they wither and die on me; however, when I bought my zinnias and marigolds and petunias this year, I also bought a couple of miniature rosebushes. Yellow. For our past, our present, and our future.
I love when books center around not only "seasoned" protagonists, but around the resurrection of old marriages. It reminds us that Happily Ever After doesn't necessarily mean being in love every day--it means falling in love again and again. Ever After.
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The books below are my contributions to the "marriage resurrected" theme. I hope you give them a try!
Tell knew the moment he saw her that she was the one. He offered Rags eternal love, children and a seat in his hammock. It was a match made in heaven. How could she say no?
Even though things should have been perfect, each took wrong turns. Rags and Tell found themselves on a one-way street traveling the wrong direction. Their marriage collapsed in a sea of accusations and disappointment.
Years later, they meet again, their memories as fresh as if it were yesterday. Instant physical attraction and emotional connection blindside them, leading them back to that perfect place.
And then there’s Joe.
A Soft Place to Fall
Early McGrath didn’t want freedom from her thirty-year marriage to Nash, but
when it was forced upon her, she did the only thing she knew to do—she went home to the Ridge to reinvent herself. Only what is someone who’s taken care of people her whole life supposed to do when no one needs her anymore? Even as the threads of her life unravel, she finds new ones— reconnecting with the church of her childhood, building the quilt shop that has been a long-time dream, and forging a new friendship with her former husband.
The definition of freedom changes when it’s combined with faith. Can Early and Nash find a Soft Place to Fall?
Congratulations on so many years of marriage! That's hard work and determination!! You are both to be commended!
ReplyDeleteThank you. It remains a work in progress. :-)
DeleteYou have a lot to celebrate, Liz. A long marriage and the title and cover of your book so inviting. Enjoy everything!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Nora. I like those covers, too.
DeleteLiz, congratulations on your recent anniversary! I'm glad you mentioned that living happily-ever-after doesn't mean euphoria every day. So many couples divorce when I think talking things out together would settle their differences. We had a minister years ago who gave a series of sermons on marriage that helped my husband and me. I don't mean we were considering divorce, but we benefited from the sermons anyway. Great post and your books are intriguing. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Carolyn. I've always said (sometimes through my teeth!) that my worst day with him is better than my best day without him. Still goes.
DeleteLiz, what a wonderful post! Long marriage is not a picnic every day, but it’s well worth hanging around to see if the hot dogs are any good.
ReplyDeleteSure is!
DeleteBeautiful post, Liz. Congratulations on your anniversary. The yellow rose story is beautiful. My yellow roses bloomed this week -- I should say, my grandmother's yellow rose. My mother gave it to my grandmother on Mother's Day many years ago. They are both gone now but the rose survives. I suppose much like how our loved ones remain in our hearts. Thanks for your post today.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Maddie. I feel that way with my mom's lilac bushes, too.
DeleteCongratulations, Liz. Nothing is easy, marriage, writing, but the rewards are great. It's wonderful to see mature characters get their second chance.
ReplyDeleteIt is. I love writing older protagonists, and reading them, too.
DeleteOh my goodness. Your post brought tears to my eyes. How beautiful. And congratulations on 49 years. That's awesome! I love the title of your books and the names of the characters. The stories sound great. The second one appeals to me the most, because I love when couples find their way back together like that.
ReplyDeleteThank you. A Soft Place to Fall is very special to me, too. Its working title was Early to Rise, and it's still that in my heart.
DeleteFrom the standpoint of my 42+ year marriage, I can truthfully say wise words indeed. Great post, Liz. Btw, yellow roses have always been my favorite.
ReplyDeleteMine, too. Thanks, Joan.
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