HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, MAMA & PAPA

my parents have been married 33 years today. the above photo was taken sometime during their first year of marriage. my father, who also blogs, has dedicated the month of december to writing daily about peace. below is what he posted for today, a bit for my mother.

33 years ago today my life took a great bounce. At that time I professed my love for Marcie to be the equivalent of playing three basketball games. She didn’t understand it, nor could I adequately explain it… until last month, when I played perhaps my last pick-up game, augmented by the four week recovery period of my ailing left knee. This caused me to reflect on why I loved basketball so much, and why, at age 56, I tried to play again. I realized as I was racing… okay, gliding… okay, recognizably moving up and down the court, that I wasn’t playing a game. I was living in a state of peace. The peace that comes from doing something solely for enjoyment. A peace that accompanies the familiar and invites the unknown. The familiar such as the rules and the sounds of the game–the squeak of the shoes, the soft kiss of the ball off the glass. And the unknown such as your new teammates, and how to supplement each other’s weaknesses and exaggerate the  strengths; how to blend different styles to the greater good of the game; how to expect and eagerly accept challenges, knowing that by working together you will find a way, a fair way, a good way. Because though the game has rules and sounds, it also unfolds differently every time, inviting creativity that leads to the freedom to pursue success.

Such has been my last 33 years. I have a teammate who complements my weaknesses and accentuate my strengths. We have blended our styles and worked through challenges to find our way to a good life, a great life. Like the game of pick-up basketball our life has rules and sounds, yet unfolded unpredictably, inviting our creativity to choose success. To invite peace. With Marcie I am living in the state of peace, the peace that comes from doing something that brings total enjoyment. We have appreciated the familiar and embraced the unknown. 

Do I love her as much as three games? These 33 years later, I finally see it. Life is what brings you peace. The absence of peace is the absence of life. Basketball has always afforded me an avenue to peace. My life with Marcie – my love for her, her love for me – is one of deep abiding peace worthy of a lifetime of basketball. 

Happy anniversary.

how blessed i am to have this sort of model of love in my life and such great individuals as my parents. happy anniversary, mama & papa.