Who doesn't melt when they hear a great love story? I am a sucker for anything love. Why? Because it's real, it's raw, it's true. Real emotion that lives inside all of us. It's what keeps us going each and every day. LOVE. Four simple letters strung together to mean SO much.
So what happens when your love moves on to their resting place and all you have left are the precious, beautiful memories only you two shared? The memories of the sweet gestures, the gentle glances, the goofing around. When all you have left is his picture that sits on your nightstand. Time passes, life happens but the treasured memories are what we hold onto.
The greatest love story I know is the love story of my Nana and Papa. Today marks the ten year anniversary of my Papa's passing. Growing up, my Nana and Papa were the epitome of a true love story. True. Pure. Honest. Real. They knew how to not sweat the small stuff. They laughed for hours upon hours with each other, at each other, it didn't matter...they laughed. They shared many adventures along the way--never taking the other for granted. Four children, six grandchildren, three great-grandchildren. Their love is at the core of our family.
Recently, I shared a special day with my Nana to celebrate and remember my Papa. Ten years later, she still cracks up at the thought of him and their memories together. Their stories still give her that spark in her eye. When I asked her what has been the hardest thing she had to overcome since Pop has been gone, she simply answered to "stop longing for a chance to do it all over again".
They married in 1943, a year after my Papa served in WWII. Their love letters were the only correspondence they had to share about their daily lives. My Nana prayed every day for my Pop's safe return. Those letters were all she had to see her through. Today, they would have been married for 71 years. "Faith, sense of humor and lots of patience" are the keys to keeping a marriage strong.
I am blessed to have witnessed their love. It has helped shape who I am today. I cherish any day spent with my Nana and I love listening to the stories of her and Papa. On this particular day, I decided to pull out my camera and capture the moment so it would last a lifetime. Halfway through our day, we went to one of my Nana's favorite places....Elizabeth Park. There, I surprised her with one of my favorite pictures of her and my Pop. It was taken on a weekend trip with friends when they were 17, a simpler time when they were young and carefree. Her reaction to seeing this picture after all these years was precious. I watched her as she remembered that very moment. I didn't interrupt her; I just let my camera capture the emotion. She gently ran her fingers over the picture as if she was longing to "do it all over again".
Below are some of my favorite images from our day.
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| The Rose Garden at Elizabeth Park- one of my Nana's favorite places. |
Love you Pop Pop...
