We’re supposed to write a letter to the nephew who is getting married, as the friend of the bride is going to scrapbook the letter, (among other letters) then send the “memory keeper” with the two young people as they venture to Florida for a romantic elopement. On their honeymoon, they’re supposed to read the letters, look at the pictures, and reminisce over their families and friends, (and of course their time together, leading up to their marriage).
My daughter comes in the room, and my husband, who thought my letter was too serious, therefore he took charge of the assignment, asked my daughter for advice on what to write. Of course she’s fifteen, and her answer was full of humorous sarcasm. “Just tell him I’m glad he finally caught one, cause it’s about time.” Of course my husband laughed. Then my husband remarked that he was going to figure out a way to put paint on both our dogs’ paws, and art a meticulous, pristine, paw print on the letter. (We have a chihuahua, and a tiny poodle.) “I’ll be sure and write in parenthesis that it’s their contribution to a signature, and not poo that they stepped in.” He belly laughed, I just sat there and stared at him, and then I remarked my classic line of, “That’s funny.” Then it hit me, “that was funny, but I didn’t laugh,” as I rarely do, because I’m not a laugher! I pondered on that for a second, then I had to talk about it.
“Have you never noticed that I never laugh? I’m not one to laugh at much of anything. But that was funny, you know, that the dogs didn’t step in poo and all? And then the remark from our youngest on how she’s proud he finally caught a girl; that’s funny too! But I can’t seem to break a smile over it. Interesting.” That made my happy husband chuckle some more, which I totally didn’t get.
“Well you know,” he began, with his blue eyes crinkled and twinkling, “Maybe that’s why God gave you, me. I laugh enough for the both of us, and sometimes, I can get a rise out of you, so I’d say we balance each other out.” He was right! When I really thought about it, he does balance my serious life, just like that old-fashioned, peeling paint, teeter-totter, that sat at the old school playground. When we were kids, my friends and I used to try and try to get that thing to hover evenly straight. It took a while, but we finally figured out that the teeter-totter only worked that way (perfectly balanced) when two kids were of equal weight (we were like six when we played on it). That’s my husband and me in a nutshell; we’re equal weight on that teeter-totter. Of course, if you read my blogs, (which I’m hoping to be blessed with a few more readers over this quarantine; that is if it’s in the will of God) you know where I’m going next with this.
My romance books, “Married in That Part of Arkansas,” the couple that started it all fit. They balanced each other out, which is why the male character couldn’t stand to not let that particular girl go. He loved her too much! In the next book, which is the last book, titled, “Another Wedding in That Part of Arkansas,” the other former football player was afraid of commitment, so he almost had to have the commitment before he could commit. If that makes your head spin, read the book and you’ll understand what I mean.
My husband remarked that we fit, when he met me. He desperately thought I was the one, and he even prayed I’d see it that way; that I had to marry him, and not the other guy. I won’t discuss whether there was another guy or not, because in all honesty, it’s not important anymore, considering I’ve been married for thirty years now. And in that thirty years, the one powerful thing that’s kept us together all this time, that my husband reminded me on this evening: we’re good together, and that evens it out.
I can go on and on, and write more, because I’m in the mood to write about my funny man, but I won’t. Instead I’ll recommend the book, “That Part of Arkansas,” a good read for all ages of sixteen and above, out on kindle for free. The true meat of marriage is the second book “Married in That Part of Arkansas.” I wrote the guy a playboy, and the girl beautiful, which is very different from my husband and me. But, the love in the book, now that came straight from us. And the perfect fit, that’s what we’re all looking for ladies; isn’t it? In the meantime, enjoy the books, but please read them all the way through. You only understand the meaning of them when you read till the end. Until we meet again, in what I call a fog blog.
*WARNING: while my teen series is geared toward all ages, this series is very real, with real world situations. Even though it would be nice to live in a “clean” world; we don’t. I wrote the “Arkansas” series with some real-world situations, that even I don’t agree with. And… the last two books are about marriage, so they’re absolutely not appropriate for young girls. You can’t be a writer and write fantasy-perfect, even though I wish we lived in a world that could be described as that. Furthermore…the book you get free on kindle, it is written in a very different tone from the other two, so please be aware of this if you decide to read the series. Also, I am a relationship writer, which that is my focus in all the books. Some writers do best with creative plots, or character description. I lack in these areas, but connection between the characters, that part is my stronghold. That is the point of the books, the connection between a man and a woman in marriage, because marriage is a beautiful thing when practiced correctly. And that my friends, is the point of the books.*
Fit People Talk 