Monday, June 29, 2015

Happy Anniversary to My Folks


Here's to The Admiral and KareBear, two of the finest people I know and the best parents I ever had.
Today marks their 46th Wedding Anniversary, I think.  Something like that.  I'm sure someone will tell me if my math is wrong.

Like all great romances, my parents met at a bar.  My dad was in the Air Force, post-Vietnam, stationed in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  My mom was a local, finishing up college.  I guess romance blossomed or some such.  Booze will do that for you.

Soon, my dad got out of the Air Force and my mom married my dad and she moved to live with him in Miami, which I figure had to have been a heck of a culture shock.  He was from Hialeah and went to community college for a while and my mom worked, then they both got into the University of Florida where my mom got her Masters in Education while teaching and my dad went straight from his undergrad to his Masters in Business.  I think he was working at a 7-11.

Anyway, they've really managed to make this marriage business work.  It ain't Ozzie and Harriet, but they do that teamwork thing as well or better than anyone I know.

In addition, they basically didn't mess up raising two kids of their own while helping with countless other kids and grown-ups via my mom's jobs teaching, through their church work, through philanthropic work, through friends, random people they meet, and countless other activities.   And that's not to mention all the stuff they did for me and Jamie over the years (and my brother and his wife, too).  And now they've stepped up as terrific grandparents for my nephew, Raylan.

If you want to know why I think a do-gooder like Superman is a pretty good idea, I grew up living with these two.  They never asked for recognition or thought they were doing much more than what you were supposed to if you had the ability to do so.  Good folks, my folks.  Hard standard to live up to.

Happy Anniversary to a great set of parents.

I forgot to get you a card.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...


Very nice, Ryan. Thanks - and lots of love. Dad and Mom

(It's 47!)

The League said...

I see what I did. I was thinking 1969. Okie doke. Happy Anniversary!

mcsteans said...

Hear, hear! Happy Anniversary, Karen and Rick!

(Ryan, MY parents were married in 1969.)

The League said...

I can't possibly be expected to remember all of these details.

RHPT said...

I don't know about your parents, but when my kids tell me that "I'm the best dad ever", I'm always dubious since I'm the only dad they've ever had (or I think so anyway)

The League said...

Maybe there's a second dad who is there during the weekdays? Or a Ghost Dad?

J.S. said...

Happy anniversary, Mom and Dad!