Happy Birthday,Tom ~ One More Year of Growing Old Together

*Author's note: This was posted at 1 am on August 4, I don't know why it's showing as August 3rd.

"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."   ~Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

Do you believe in soul mates? I do. I found mine 22 years ago. I remember the first time we went out. A small group of us went to a little sports bar famous for its pool tables. I was partnered with Tom. He was happy, even when I shot the 8-ball into the side pocket. I had no idea that I’d lost the game for us. From Tom’s reaction, you’d have never known that either! He clapped and cheered so loudly that I thought I’d won us something amazing. And, in a way, I had. It was the start of something BIG! We sat in his truck until 4 am talking, and I remember calling my Aunt Judy the following morning and telling her that I’d found the man I was going to marry. When I saw him wearing that yellow tie the next day, I knew for sure....
Tom is most definitely my soul mate, and he says that I am his. We’re blessed that way. We like a lot of the same things. We don’t like a lot of the same things. He’s a very special man - a combination of Alan Alda and Tom Hanks. Yeah. I know...I’m a lucky girl!
Today is his birthday. It’s a very special day for me! It’s the day the greatest gift in my life came into this world. I wish I could have met his mother. I’d have sent her flowers today for the gift of him.
I remember back in 1994 when I opened my birthday present from him. There was a 14 kt. gold chain, but more importantly, there was a handmade gift [the best kinds]. It reminded me of something he’d once said to me: I wish I’d known you when we were kids. I’d like to have collected fireflies and put them in mayonnaise jars with you and watched them spark their light just for us before we released them back into the night.
That’s what was inside the box – a mayonnaise jar that had fake greenery inside it. There was a switch on top of the lid with a tag that said "turn me on". When I did, periodic flashes tripped a light FANTASTIC. It made my heart go "pitter pat". He’s the only one who’s ever been able to do that...make my heart do "pitter pat" kind of things. I remember sitting on the sofa and holding it like it was the Hope Diamond. [I was in Maryland and Tom was in Florida] My mother asked me what it was, and I told her that he’d sent me fireflies in a mayonnaise jar. She looked at it, then at me and said. "He’s a keeper!"
I nodded. Yeah. He’s a keeper.
I think one of the things that has made us so strong as a couple is that we were friends before we were ever anything else. It’s such an important foundation. I like him. He’s someone who I enjoy just hanging with. We don’t have to do anything special. I simply enjoy his company whether we’re doing stuff or just sitting quietly surfing our individual webs.
We were talking the other day about how much we’ve seen in our time together – how many things have changed in the world; in our families; within ourselves. One thing though has remained constant: the love we have for one another. It is one of the few things I still believe in–
–me and him.
He is my true like-love! We’re a little older; a little rounder; a lot wiser; there’s more gray than there use to be; our joints squeak a little louder and we tire a lot easier. I knew when I met him that we had staying power. We’ve had our share of sorrows, always eclipsed with magnificent joys. It’s a testament.
He has his male moments just as I have my female ones. When it happens, we give each other space to let it wear off. We don’t agree on everything, but his hand is the one I reach for whenever I step out into the world. It’s a scary place out there alone. I can’t imagine going through this journey without him. It’s nice when you know–truly know that someone has your back.
I remember when he proposed to me, he gave me my ring and said, "grow old with me...." [He gave me a brick too but that's a story for another day...]
As a writer, I couldn’t think of a better plot outline. We better each other in simpatico ways. He introduced me to The Little Prince, I turned him onto The Bridges of Madison County. He expanded my musical horizons with Loreena McKennitt, and I had him take a listen to Mary Chapin-Carpenter. He gave me a mayonnaise jar with specially handpicked fireflies once, and I gave him a gold stand that holds a magic 8 ball.
Tom turns another year older today. We’re one step closer to his "grow old with me" request. I have to say, so far, it’s been a great ride – a magic carpet one...
I hope his birthday today is as happy as he’s made me, and that means that his cup is running over and flowing!
In celebration of my husband’s special day, I’d like to take you to the basement where the blue lights shine brightly today and dust the cobwebs off a couple of gems that, in case I don’t say it often enough to him, indicate what a special guy I think came into this world 53 years ago...
Yeah, they ALL mean something! And, I know he’ll remember every little thing!
"Happy Birthday, Honey! I love you to the moon~*~*~*

http://youtu.be/HAIQVh7sfmk [It Might Be You/Stephen Bishop]
http://youtu.be/jfTSi7uOZTM [The Last Time I Felt Like This/Mathis & Oliver]
http://youtu.be/hOFrGbuUqnQ [The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face/Roberta Flack]
http://youtu.be/KUd3CRE7dvo [On Golden Pond/Dave Grusin]
http://youtu.be/_8U61IkY6Y8 [Grow Old With Me/Mary Chapin Carpenter]

Written by Jhill Perran
August 4, 2011