... Wedded To ...

[Norman's and mine, photographed on our wedding day]

There's a tradition in my extended family. My great-grandmother (we all called her Grams) made a wedding needlepoint sampler similar to the one above for her two daughters, and she made a pretty good run at making one for every one of her grandchildren. She was quite old and ill when my mom's youngest brother got married, but I remember my mom working on it for her.

When I was engaged, my mom asked if I wanted one, too. Of course I did! I grew up seeing my mom and dad's hanging in our house, and my grandma and grandpa's hanging in theirs. As you can see, the names, dates, and colors are all subject to change to fit the couple. The colors in my mom's are the colors she planned on having in her house. The colors in mine are my wedding colors.

[My mom and dad's]

I love this tradition. Love. Of course I do! It's crafty and nostalgic and a multi-generational tradition. I love multi-generational traditions.

Norman's and mine hangs above my dresser in our bedroom. The other day I was looking at it, and I suddenly got very, very sad. You see, my mom's youngest brother was recently divorced. That's the first time someone who had one of these... didn't need it anymore. Everyone else is either still together, or separated by death.

I started to wonder -- what had happened to it? I imagine most likely it was thrown away or donated to a thrift store. If it was really lucky, someone decided it was worth keeping and hiding away. If it was really unlucky, someone burned it in a fit of rage! (Unlikely, but totally possible.)

So, so sad. So here I'll offer a prayer that no one else who has one of these lovely things will stop needing theirs prematurely.

[Our one-minute-versary.]