Indelible

From Miriam-Webster:

Main Entry: in·del·i·ble
Pronunciation: in-'de-l&-b& l
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English indelyble, from Medieval Latin indelibilis, alteration of Latin indelebilis, from in- + del Ere to delete

1 a : that which cannot be removed, washed away, or erased
b : making marks that cannot easily be removed

As dawn takes up her brush to paint the morning sky I quietly celebrate the 1950 birth of the man who so lightly and lovingly rests within the memories of my heart. No big fanfare, no family dinner celebration, no special memorial ceremony to remind me of one who lives inside each breath I take. Just a quiet, personal remembrance of the fiercely gentle soul who touched my life from the day of our meeting in my doorway November 1969 to that late May afternoon in 2002.

Just as my life was forever changed when he walked into it, so was it changed when he so unwillingly left it. And, yet, his mark will forever be etched within my heart, soul and the life I live today.

Laughter came easy to him. As did treating people as he wished to be treated…influence from his father from the stories I’ve heard. In our growing up as a young married couple I watched this shy, almost backward southern boy metamorphose into a man so comfortable within his own skin he easily made others comfortable in theirs. People opened up to him; shared thoughts they kept from others knowing he never made judgment either on their words or on their lives.

Was he perfect? No. He was human, flawed and could aggravate me to my soul. He loved practical jokes, fireworks, family and friends. He left the toilet seat up, socks on the floor and his tools everywhere. His skill at procrastination was legendary within the family. (We were given an hour’s lead time on any family gathering.) He started a fight the night he proposed to prove the point you could be mad as hell and still love someone like crazy.

What I know of unconditional love…both given and received…comes from his example. What I know of the joy of life through even darkest times comes from the manner in which he lived every single day I knew him.

He was a gift…both a pearl beyond price and a diamond in the rough honed brightly through our time together. I will forever be touched by his presence. I carry him with me as I march forward in this new life I have unwillingly been handed.

Indelible.

Happy Birthday, darlin’.