Of Easter and a 68th Wedding Anniversary

Tomorrow is my parent's 68th Wedding Anniversary; they were married on Saturday, April 12, 1941.

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday, also on April 12 which means we have a double celebration this year.

Last year, after some simple research, I learned how the date for Easter is set by the cycle of the moon. Easter Sunday, the so-called Movable Feast is celebrated on the first Sunday after the "Paschal Full Moon". The Paschal Full Moon is the first full moon after the Spring Equinox. Easter could occur as early as March 22 or as late as April 25, depending on the year. Last year, Easter was very early, on March 23 and I remember it felt very odd. 2009 is a more typical year with Easter falling more solidly in early spring.

However, the merging of both Easter and my parent's Wedding Anniversary, has occurred on only one other occasion in their 68 years of marriage: in 1998. I also learned that in 1941, the year they were married, Easter fell on April 13th, the day after they were married. Mom and Dad honeymooned in New York City, staying at the Paramount Hotel. Their first full day together as a married couple was Easter Sunday. I asked them about this the other day; neither could recall that they married on Easter weekend or if they celebrated Easter in any way that year.

Last year their anniversary fell on a Saturday and I blogged about their day replete with memories that Mom shared with me about their wedding day. This picture taken last year showing them on their 67th anniversary, seated side by side has become one of my favorites because they both look relaxed and happy. So much has changed in a year. Life for them and for my siblings and me grows harder as their mental and physical health changes and their needs grow. I don't think I could get a photograph like this one today although I'll probably try.

I'm proud to know they've been married 68 years. Not always easy, even now, but they remain a couple who has weathered the storm together. They remain the elders of our family and we honor them. Dad told me he'll ask my sister to say grace on Easter Sunday since my son Chris, who usually offers the prayer at gatherings like this is in California this weekend with his new fiancee. Time moves on! This year that April 12 is Easter and an important day in the life of my parents makes the time together all the more special. We're planning a family event at the house on Arapahoe and I pray that those of us in town can make it there to spend special moments together.