Monday, March 20, 2023
As a young woman in my 20’s, I was dating a man that I just had to introduce to Auntie and Uncle. So we went to Beulah.
Sometime shortly thereafter, Aunt Edie and I were visiting, just the 2 of us, in the shade from the canopy of her trailer, chatting about the services and other “life stuff”. I don’t remember the whole conversation, but she admonished me, being a Christian person, not to marry a man who didn’t believe the same as I did. She passed on to me the advice that her sister, my Grammie Eva, would have given, and I never forgot it. She was right. That boyfriend soon became a former one, and I married someone who does believe the same as I do. I’m pretty sure she and Uncle Ivan thought Dale was alright. Uncle made sure he passed his scrutiny.
For us, lilies are reminiscent of them both. They had a lovely patch of them by the steps to their camp lot. Dale and I stole a kiss there, thinking no one saw us. We were wrong.
Both of them kept that moment secret from us until our wedding day, when Uncle Ivan told the story at our reception and Aunt Edie smiled knowingly.
I celebrate the fact that they can chat about precious memories like those as they stroll hand in hand on streets of gold today. I know I’ll see them again and I look forward to them both teasing me again about the lilies.
