25 Years Married

The Beloved Mrs. TenNapel is well loved by all who know her, but none know her as well as this guy. What is strange about hitting the twenty-five year marker is that I don’t remember doing anything that felt like hauling a twenty five year weight. It’s more like just taking care of each day, each week, maybe each month. We got out of the pool at the YMCA this morning and I was showing her off to everyone who’d hear me, “We’re married 25 years! She has been my gal for 25 years!” It’s not just the years, it’s that we arrived and are still in love. “In love” is a romantic term and it’s largely a choice. It does not imply that there weren’t really bad days, weeks even months in our marriage. It doesn’t imply that we have a lot in common. Part of the sweetness of this anniversary is that we’ve overcome so much and came out on top. Angie is the more beautiful, kind and wonderful of the two of us, so I’m happy to become more like her. My great hope is that she continues to temper my madness and make me into a better, more kind, hard working person. She’s a great influence on me. And my hope is that my terrible traits continue to not stick to her. I love how little we have in common, she is usually the most interesting thing I see each day. So here’s to Angie. Thank you for twenty five years together.