Fine wine, roses and old corduroy...

Days of fine wine, roses and old corduroy...

The popular patron saint of love, Valentine, has always seemed somewhat lacking in charisma for me. Cupids with bows and arrows are cute but haven’t any substance. The t.v. show “The Bachelor” makes my skin crawl watching women and a man playact the art of love. I needed some new images and inspirations for love... real love between real men and real women.
Swan and Freddie Lou are one of the couples who make my Dean’s List of Love. They were a model for living life as a couple with passion and purpose. Strong personalities, different in many ways, they knew how to cut each other some slack and how to be each other’s cheerleader. Visiting them was always like a dose of spring tonic, rejuvenating and reviving. Fine wine...
My parents and Michael’s parents are on this list, also. Michael’s dad and mom had known each other since they were teenagers. When she developed dementia, H.O. nursed her, lived with her until he was no longer physically able to care for her. Every day, he visited her until she died. Mama and Daddy were an unlikely couple brought together by World War II. When she speaks of him, her blue eyes flash and twinkle as she remembers how handsome he was. Theirs was a passion that survives after death. Like the scent of old roses, pressed and dried in the family Bible, the fragrance of our parents’ enduring love is sweet and strong.
This is the time of year Michael and I met and we relive our whirlwind courtship every year, retelling our story, remembering the whys and wherefores of our love. Forty four years have passed with more than enough love, laughter, grief and good work. We have weathered our share of storms, reared three children who gave us pleasure as parents and are delightful adults, moved around and remodeled old houses before finding Sabbath Rest Farm. We made a life together. It was not always easy but it was always worth it. Old corduroy made soft through the years that has lost none of its strength...
Real love, true love, is a love that knows perfection is neither possible nor to be desired. And like fine wine, this love lifts us up, invigorates and energizes. When the first flush of new love fades, the memories, the scent still lingers to remind us of our beginnings. As the years pass, our love weathers times of trial and jubilee, boredom and hard work, and a new fabric is formed. This fabric, like old corduroy, is strong, velvety, comforting and beautiful with a nap that shows its wear. Love is the weaving of our lives together to form “a more perfect union”, a reflection of the One who first loved and still loves us. I’ll take this over cupids and valentines any day...