To Rick, on Our Twenty-First Anniversary (And yes, we tied the knot at the age of twelve)

I knew I had a keeper a few months after our wedding (all right, I was twenty-three, but stop with the math!), and I had to make a confession. Rick held two jobs and I had one, so I was responsible for the finances, even though I had never before balanced a checkbook. And I had fallen a little behind on my deposits. So I had to tell him that I had bounced some checks.

“How many? Two or three?”

“Um . . . no. Twenty-two.” I thought for sure this would be grounds for divorce.

But Rick just started laughing and laughing. No anger. No worries that his new bride would drive him into bankruptcy some day. The only thing he did was threaten to tell this “funny” story to the whole family. I pleaded with him to keep it our little secret, and he agreed, as long as I would let him tell the story when I was thirty-five and fiscally responsible (note that he still had faith in me). Well, as you all know by now, I passed that milestone some time ago (without any bankruptcies), but Rick still kept the secret. So here it is, for the whole family and anyone else who cares to read this.

And over the years, Rick’s love has given me room to grow and make mistakes. He tells me I'm beautiful first thing in the morning, without makeup and with unwashed hair. To him, I’m always perfect, to the point where I have to fish for insults. “What about the fact that I never finish putting the laundry away?”

“Well, yes, there’s that.” Somehow he manages to see my flaws and still think of me as perfect.

So happy anniversary to my best friend, whom I love with all my heart, and who actually is perfect!

Maui 2009