Mom and Dad

On our mantel, above the TV in the living room is a black and white photograph of my parents. It was from a time, several years before I was born, that my mom got into developing her own film, hence the picture being black and white, instead of color.

The picture is of my mom with a corn snake around her neck, laughing. My dad is standing beside her, a neutral expression on his face, staring at her. Despite the fact that he isn’t smiling, he has this look in his eyes. Like he is crazy about my mother. It was before they were married.

The picture sums up their relationship pretty well. In fact, most pictures of them look like this. My mom always clearly happy, my dad looking at her in awe. They have been married 22 years this may, and to this day mom claims that she would never choose anyone else to spend her life with. The last time she mentioned this my dad got tears in his eyes.

My mother recently went on sabbatical to Namibia Africa. After my dad dropped her off at the airport he called me, his voice all shaky, telling me that this will be the longest he’s been away from her since they were married. He has decided to go be with her in Africa for the remainder of her trip, and he will leave in three weeks.

I often find myself caught up in their love story, envying the fact that they have each found their soulmate. I feel blessed to have them around me, to have parents that are still in love after what I consider a very long time. Each time I see that picture I am reminded that the are people in the world that have the love out of story books. That it isn’t as impossible as it may seem to find the love of your life.