A Golden Anniversary
Poem
Who can find a virtuous woman?
for her price is far above rubies.
The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her,
so that he shall have no need of spoil.
She will do him good and not evil
all the days of her life. . . .
Her children arise up, and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praiseth her.
—
Proverbs 31:10-12, 28
It all started more than 50 years ago, in Love Library on
the University of Nebraska campus. Raita, a pretty coed working at the reserve
desk, caught the eye of a charming and witty student named Jack. He frequently
found himself searching for obscure books just to be near her. But he hadn't
made a move.
Then he asked his cousin to help him find a date for a
special event. They sat down and opened the yearbook. There was the picture of
the girl at the reserve desk . . . who happened to sit next to the cousin in an
art class. Jack says, "For you young folks, this was the closest thing to
dating 'online' that we had in those days!"
The rest, as you must know, is history.
Jack and Raita, our beloved uncle and aunt, just celebrated
their Golden Wedding Anniversary with a big house party at their picturesque
lake home in Wisconsin. The stories, jokes, photos and toasts all were
plentiful, as befits such a wonderful occasion.
During the weekend, the honorees were visiting with Raita's
sister Astrida, and the subject turned to risk-taking. Astrida said, "I'm just
not a risk taker." Raita responded, "Neither am I" . . . but Jack retorted to
his wife: "Wait a minute! Not a risk taker? We were engaged after 16 dates and
married four months later!" After a pause, Astrida quipped, "That's why she's
no longer a risk-taker!"
A fitting remark, since humor has punctuated this very
special, 50-year marriage. Even when he got serious praising his wife, Jack was
funny. In a speech, he told the guests at the lake house that his wife "is a
tolerant and patient person, as demonstrated by the rocky start to this union. We
were driven out of bed the first night here, by mice chewing through the Celotex
ceiling board in the middle of the night -- the shavings drifting down on our
heads."
Then he did something that made all the women swoon. He read
a love poem that he wrote, especially for her. Can you imagine how she must
have felt, listening to that in front of all their friends and family? In
typical guy form, he compared her to a belch, a sliver and a pothole patch . .
. and yet it was soooooo romantic! It was "so" Jack . . . "so" them. It is "so"
God, as their Matchmaker. And it's fun, for all who know this Godly and unique
couple, to hear him praise her to the high heavens.
She is a Proverbs 31 wife if there ever was one, and
deserves every line of this highly creative, slightly goofy and thoroughly heartwarming
poem. For 50 years, Jack has been blessed with a wife he couldn't live without.
Let's celebrate their example for what God meant marriage to be:
Raita - 50th
By Jack Neely
Without
you I am useless, like a track shoe without a lace;
A
camper without a tent; a detective without a case.
Like
a house without a window or a scoreboard without a score,
I'm
lost without you, like an ocean without a shore.
Without
you, I'm a snow shovel with no handle,
A
grandchild's birthday cake without a candle.
Latvian
baking without cardamom;
Perry
Como singing without his cardigan.
Without
you, I am like a square hula-hoop,
As
tasteless as Cheerios without a frosted loop.
A
presidential election without a scandal,
The
Christmas Messiah without Handel.
An
Antarctica winter without a blizzard,
Or
a Thanksgiving turkey without a gizzard.
Try
to view a distant star without the Hubble
Or
Johnny Depp or Brad Pitt without their stubble.
Without
you I am a picture without a frame,
A
Fourth of July bonfire without a flame.
Fred
Astaire without his taps,
Or
a bikini without straps.
Michelle
Quan without her skates;
A
Wisconsin muskie fisherman without his baits.
A
shoe repairman without a sole,
Or
an Olive Garden salad without a bowl.
A
horseshoe tournament without a ringer;
The
Metropolitan Opera without a singer;
A
house of mirrors without a reflection;
A
Marine boot camp without an inspection.
Oklahoma
without tornados,
Or
Idaho without potatoes.
Veggie Tales without cucumber "Larry"
Or
"Make my day!" without Harry.
Jackie
Gleason without "And away we go!"
A
St. Paul Winter Carnival without ice and snow.
A
woodworker without his chisel;
A
vodka gimlet without its swizzle.
Could
there be a quilt without a pattern?
A
sequence of stellar rings without Saturn?
A
child with a popsicle, but no stick,
Or
a mason on a building site with not one brick.
Could
you play hockey without ice?
Or
a Las Vegas roulette wheel without dice?
Without
you I'm like a pencil with broken lead
Or
Santa's reindeer without their sled.
If
I'm Nebraska, you're the football team.
If
I'm Baskin-Robbins, you're the ice cream.
Who
would Levi be without his jeans,
Or
Mrs. Van Campen without her beans?
In
my life's scratchy recording, you are the high fidelity;
Like
the outrigger in a stormy sea, giving me stability.
As
the depth-finder and focal point in my camera's eye,
You
are the billowing white in my translucent sky.
Could
there be an Eenie Meanie without a Moe?
A
Broadway opening or cruise ship, without a show?
Without
you, I'm a treasure map without any treasure,
A
blank measuring cup with no lines to measure.
Driving
in a July thunderstorm without any wipers,
Or
6-month twins with the runs . . . and being out of diapers.
For
you're the final line completing a Keats sonnet,
Keeping
me grounded when I have bees in my bonnet!
Like
the cream in my coffee, you're the de-icer in my tank;
Like
the eraser on a pencil, you're the interest in my bank.
You
are the ground in my three-prong plug;
The
protective belch after a long chug-a-lug.
And
when I act so sophomoric and so dumb,
You
bring me back to reality like a sliver in the thumb.
Like
the city crew that fills the pothole
You
patch the cracks in my tattered soul.
So
after all this nonsense I hope you know
That
with all my heart - I love you so! †
