#34

Tomorrow Sandra and I will celebrate our anniversary. The date we use is the date we met, February 9, 1974. So this will be #34.

In the traditional list of gifts for various anniversaries nothing is named for #34. There is Coral or Jade for #35, but that’s still a year away. On the other hand the modern list has items for each year and #34 is Opal.

I couldn’t remember much about opals so I did a little research. I found that an opal gem doesn’t have a lot of color but does have a ‘rich iridescence.’ When something is iridescent it gleams with bright and changing colors, like a rainbow. I like that. I think it captures the essence of our relationship.

That the iridescence is rich says to me that there is a depth, a satisfaction, a maturity in how we relate to each other. That it is bright and like a rainbow says to me that it hasn’t gotten dull, that it is alive and still exciting.

We will celebrate as we always do with a quiet dinner at home. We have our private traditions and we’ll be true to them. I’ll barbeque a thick New York steak. It will be rare and delicious. We’ll open a bottle of one of the greatest California wines ever produced, a 1974 Heitz Martha’s Vineyard. We bought several cases of this wine long ago and have three bottles left. That it dates as we do, from 1974, makes it perfect. Like us it is getting on in years, so it may lean more toward the rich than the iridescent, but we’ll see. Each year is unique. We’ll have a great Sauternes with cheese to complete the meal.

Mostly we’ll just hang out with each other. We’ll enjoy and be thankful for the blessings we share. We’ll express our love and appreciation. It will be a perfect #34.