Today we are celebrating our 58th wedding anniversary – not like all the other anniversary days, but not that much different either .He was18. I was 16. We were young, immature, and stupid. On these facts we agree. He was never a romantic in planning dates, or trips, or gifts. But he delighted in surprising me with provision… doing things that brought comfort and security. Like, in the dead of winter when we had just moved into a small house in the country that had a well as our water source.(It was on the back porch – very convenient.) We had bought new linoleum rugs and a wood/coal heater at a local furniture store. When I got home from school, he had the house so warm and cozy with a good fire in the new heater. He was so proud of the happy surprise! It said “love” louder than gold or silver! Over the years, he started the tradition of giving me Hershey’s Kisses on special occasions like Valentine’s Day and wedding anniversaries. He would show up at my office with a simple bag of the chocolate kisses. No wrapping. No fanfare; just a bag of Hershey’s Kisses. It was his expression of love! His daily act of love was his work ethic. He had a lot of different jobs over those years. But he was never without a job. Every job change was a step up, starting in the sewing factory for $40 a week, on to an assembly plant where he became a first class welder, which led to several other places of employment, each better than he last. Later, he ended up in the underground mines, moving to the mine shop where he retired. His expression of love to his family was his provision. Once, I spotted a yellow VW Beetle. We looked a bit and left the dealership undecided. A few days later, we started to go out to eat. He swung by the dealership and suggested we try out the VW. As we pulled out in the yellow bug, he told me it was mine! That was one time he pulled off a big surprise – another gesture of loving provision! There were other gifts of jewelry and such, and might have been more if I had not been so practical and independent. It is not the gift that matters, but the heart of love that matters! Today, I scrubbed his back a little longer with a soft washcloth to relieve the itching from hours of lying in bed. We talked about our 58 years together. He laughed when I mimicked our friend, Paul, who always says “ 58 longggg, hardddd years”. He smiled as I sang “you get sweeter, as the days go by”, revising a familiar gospel song. He stayed up the usual 2 hours at breakfast. The ,back to bed to watch The Incredible Dr Pol and doze. He will call me numerous times today to meet his basic needs. While he can no longer provide the way he once did, all the work he did through the years made possible the provision that will last us the rest of our lives. This afternoon, Jerry and I will enjoy Swamp John’s plates delivered to us by a friend. And maybe, just maybe, we will share a bag of Hershey’s Kisses. (Sadly, he did not make it to our 59th anniversary)