Bob

Batz

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January 7, 2008

The Gift to Mark 45 Years of Wedded Bliss

As you read this, my first wife Sally and I are preparing to mark our 45th wedding anniversary.

I know what you are thinking.

You are thinking how can anyone who looks as young and handsome as he looks possibly be preparing to celebrate his 45th wedding anniversary?

As you might expect, Sally and I differ greatly about how we want to celebrate the milestone.

I want to order takeout and rent a movie from our local video store. She wants to spend two weeks in Hawaii.

I suggested we compromise.

She agreed, until I told her we could order takeout and rent a movie about Hawaii.

In my defense, I’ve always played by the rules when it came to our wedding anniversary observances . . .

For our first anniversary, I gave her the traditional paper items – a greeting card and some money. On the sixth anniversary of our betrothal I presented her with a huge box of candy.

Needless to say, she was delighted with both of those gifts.

Then, on our 10th anniversary, things started going down the tubes, as they say.

My gift to her on our 10th year as man and wife – something made of tin or aluminum is recommended – was a frying pan.

I still think it was a really neat present, but Sally apparently wasn’t all that impressed because she didn’t speak me for three-and-a-half weeks.

A year later, as Sally and I prepared to mark our 11th year of wedded bliss, I tried to make up for the previous year’s error by presenting her with the recommended musical instrument.

I’m thinking she didn’t much care for the gift because she still hasn’t played that accordion even once.

I guess one of the reasons the 45th anniversary is a dilemma for me is that the recommended gift is something sapphire.

My problem with that is I don’t have the slightest idea of how to pick out a sapphire Sally might like.

At least when I bought the frying pan and the accordion, I knew what to look for in a frying pan and an accordion.

But I’m pretty much clueless when it comes to sapphires.

Of course, I could cheat a little and ignore the gem to jump ahead to the future when it comes to selecting a 45th anniversary gift for my wife.

At this point I’m thinking about giving her original poetry, the recommended gift for a 46th wedding anniversary. I’m figuring if I don’t make a big deal about it, she’ll never know I jumped ahead a year.

Right now I’m planning to start my original poem with “Roses are red/violets blue . . .”

I’m pretty sure she’s going to love it.

© 2008 North Star Writers Group. May not be republished without permission.

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