Anniversaries
Today would have been our 24th wedding anniversary. But Gretchen went to be with Jesus just two short weeks ago. I have spent some portion of the past few days scouring every photo, journal, letter, song I have. One thing that they all have in common are dates.
Dates we marked.
Plans we made.
Hopes we dreamed.
A story we weaved.
Now tied into a knot.
24 years.
Love Notes
Valentine’s Day 2013
I found a few love notes that she kept in a wood box. This is from Valentine’s Day 11 years ago.
Photos
I selected some of my favorite photos from our anniversaries. The most recent anniversary photo is from 2019 at The Kennedy Center. For the past few years, Gretchen did not want any photos taken. The years of chemo made her unrecognizable to herself. But I will say this, her eyes and smile were undefeatable. They always made my heart skip a beat even in the last few days we had together.
Music
Gretchen loved music. Many never knew that she was an accomplished french horn player. Her musical tastes were much more diverse than mine, and she could name almost any song from the 80s and 90s within 3 seconds. Last week I found that she had left an Apple Music playlist with my name on it for me to discover. She typed in the description “Songs for when I’m gone.” For those of you who understand the art of the mixtape, this is her mixtape for me. I have made it available to share here.
Vows
We made a lot promises to each other over the years. I am glad to say that we kept all of them.
At 21 years old, I wrote these personal vows and had it framed and waiting in our hotel room our wedding night.
