MONO MONDAY - TOUCH

“I give thee this ring in token that I have taken thee to be my wedded wife.”

These words from the Order of Service for Marriage, which I still have with our wedding album, and this ring were given to me by Mr. HCB on our wedding day on 6th March 1968 at Immanuel Congregational Church, Upham Road, Swindon - so we re-enacted that part of the service today, so that I could Blip our hands touching each other.

When I looked at our hands, I realised how different they must have looked on our wedding day and thought of the years that had gone by since then.  I remembered the love we had for each other, the decorating and the gardening we used to do together, the fun we had when we were first married, the two boys we had raised - mostly happy memories.  I also remember the storms we have weathered together and the fact that we have come through them and are stronger because of them.

Yes, life was different almost 50 years ago - we managed on a lot less money and our expectations were far lower than the ones young people have today - but the bottom line was that we loved each other and we wanted to make that commitment in Church, before God and our family and friends and over the years we have worked together to achieve our goals.

We still hold hands when we go out together and enjoy each other’s company, even more now we are both retired, although as most of you know, I am not always Number 1 in Mr. HCB’s life!!  At the moment it is (1) Garden  (2) Cricket  and (3) Me - but that will change in September and I will then move up one place, when the cricket season is over, but from October to February, I know I am Number 1!

“Sometimes, reaching out 
     and taking someone's hand 
          is the beginning of a journey.
At other times, 
     it is allowing another 
          to take yours.” 
Vera Nazarian

P.S.  I found a photograph of us signing the Register after our wedding that I have put in as an extra.