Dear Eddie, Different views yield different fruit. It’s June, and you and I are picking blueberries. If we escape a freeze in April and we have rain, we have berries at this time every year. I like picking with you in the early mornings or the cool of the evenings. You work down the row or across the bushes from me. I can hear you move and see your shadow. It occurs to me that picking berries, especially with the two of us picking together, is very like our living together in our marriage.
In our marriage and in picking berries, we both have viewpoints. You can see berries up high and outside; I can look at the same plant and find berries inside, low down, and from up-side down. We both can think that we have clean-picked, walk back, and, from another angle or in another light, there are more berries. Even after we have both done our best picking, the cups we both take to the house are mixtures of pink, green, blue and purple. Only after a day of “blueing up” in pans on the counter do the berries approach “blueberry” color and attain their ripe sweetness.
As we celebrate our 47th wedding anniversary, I am so happy that we learned to listen to each other. Your views give me alternate perspectives, alternate possibilities. They give me comfort, encouragement, pause, and lots of laughter. I usually try to share my views in ways that are honoring of you. As we share and let our views sit together, we sometimes agree on one view. Often we come to a joint view that is altogether new. We have had adventures, laughter, and tears. Our life together continues to be a blast. I’m so glad you asked me to dance so many years ago at Alma.
Happy Anniversary! I love you dearly.
Sylvia