A Man I Will Never Forget

Sunday, May 8th was Mother's Day this year. It was also the 45th Anniversary of my wedding to Phil. My thoughts naturally went to him and our life together this past weekend. We were married for 33+ years when he died in October of 2004. He's been gone almost 12 years now. Hardly seems possible.

Time and getting older unfortunately dull my memory and honestly, there is not a whole lot that I remember about our wedding day. Sad, isn't it? I try, in vain, at times to remember our early years together, but, again, there's not a whole lot I remember. Some things stand out like a beacon, but the things of every day life, not so much. We had good times and we had bad times, the details of most I don't remember.

I do remember we had a good life together. We fought, made up, raised our girls together, took vacations, enjoyed each other's company (most of the time), got frustrated, mad and angry with each other on occasion. We laughed a lot, because he was always able to lighten the moment when necessary. We packed a lot into those 33+ years and I'm so glad we did.

I remember a lot of his funny sayings, wrote them down in a journal years ago so I wouldn't forget.

"Philisms" I call them:

"Sharper than a beach ball!"

"Barnum & Bailey didn't get 'em all!"

"Playing a few cards short of a full deck."

"I'll do the heavy looking-on."

"Time flies when you're having fun....and even when you're not!"

"Any day above ground is a good day!"

"I see said the blind man to his deaf wife."

"What do you mean 'we?' You got a mouse in your back pocket?"

"So many roads, so little time!"

And I remember the important things.

I remember he once promised to love me "until death do us part" and he did.

I remember he promised to "honor and cherish" me and he did.

I Remember -

He lived so unselfishly for me and his two daughters.

That, I remember and will never forget.

He worked very hard, sometimes two jobs at a time, to provide for us.

That, I remember and will never forget.

He had the most warped and quick sense of humor I have ever encountered.

He made me laugh every day of our life together.
That, I remember and will never forget.

He took such delight in the simple things of life.
He always had time to "stop and smell the roses."

That, I remember and will never forget.

He was always inviting us to go on 15-minutes rides with him.

Rides that never failed to take at least two hours!

That, I remember and will never forget.

He had such a tender heart that he would cry right along with me at sappy movies.

That, I remember and will never forget.

He loved others so deeply that he hardly gave any thought to his own needs.

That, I remember and will never forget.

He knew the Word of God.
He didn't preach it. He didn't need to.
He lived it every day in full view of those around him.

That, I remember and will never forget.

To help you understand what a unique individual he was, I have a funny story to share.  A couple of months after he died, the girls and I were cleaning out the storage room when we happened upon a suitcase that I had never seen before. Not only was it locked, but to unlock it you needed both a key and a combination. Oh, oh, I thought. I remembered reading stories about spouses who found their deceased loved one had a whole different life that they never knew about until after they died. What could possibly be in this suitcase, I wondered and did I want to open it with the girls here? Did I want to open it at all? Did Phil have some deep, dark secret? Maybe I was better off not knowing what it was! I don't think my girls had any of those thoughts, they just wanted to get it open. So, I got out his key ring and lo and behold, the key to unlock it was there. But, what about the combination? It took only 3 numbers, so that eliminated his birthday - 1030. Then we tried my birthday - 216; wouldn't open, so then we thought, how about our anniversary - 508? Sure enough, that did it. Now - the moment of truth! Imagine our surprise when we opened the suitcase to find it chock full of - wait for it - bungee cords!!!!????!!!!  Seriously??!!?? Who does that? Who locks up bungee cords???!!! The girls and I still talk about this - and laugh every time!



I may not remember all the times and seasons of our life together,

but I do remember the man.....and I will never forget!