Two Candles 55 years later.

I wrote this to celebrate my wife Hazel and our fiftieth wedding anniversary five years ago. We're still here on the day of our fifty fifth anniversary of our wedding night on a cold night in 1955, and remembering. I was home on Christmas leave from the military and I had made the best decision I ever made as we stood on the cold church steps waiting for the minister to come and unlock the doors. It seemed he had forgotten us. As it has been for our whole married life we took it not as a symbol of things to come, but as a moment to remember and smile about. If a lesson was learned, it was that everything, if you look hard enough has a funny side to it. It held us in good stead all these years. We have never taken ourselves too seriously and it has turned out very well. I love this woman who was a skinny girl too young to take away from her family, but willing to go away with me. God love her for it. I know I do.

Two Candles

Two candles flicker in the wind
impervious to storm or gale
burning as one, bright and steady.
Intertwined, their combined flames can withstand
all of nature and man
I laugh, I smile, I tease, I question, I philosophize
I sympathize, I joke with this woman
As I have for so very long.
We have been sharing our thoughts, our discoveries
of life and love since we were children.
We have grown old together.
I am never happier than when we are alone,
Talking together about a past that still seems near and
A future together that knows no end.
I am still discovering, after nearly a half century together,
New depths of love for this woman who remains forever young in my eyes.
I cherish our conversation that started so long ago,
that continues and will until that unimaginable day when
as it must, a flame will sputter and a life will end.
How can two lives that live as one continue alone?
If I must stay behind, I pray to God the stay be brief,
For surely the sun will disappear from my being.
To comprehend the blackness of that day fills my soul with feelings
I cannot describe. That day when joy and purpose and completeness
Go out of my life, I will be so utterly alone.
But as it is in life, it goes on, and I will also, thanking God for allowing
Me the love and companionship of one of his chosen creations for such a
Long time, but not long enough, lest it was eternity.
Remembering our lifetime conversation will bring melancholy smiles to my
face knowing that the remaining candles flame is growing dim and will
soon sputter and on one glorious day will build to a glorious brilliance and go out.
On that wonderful day, the conversation will begin anew.