Skip to main content

Love in the time of pandemic

When I first met this man, in 1982 at PT O'Malley's in East Lansing after a miserable loss to Ohio State, I had no idea it was THE pivotal moment of my life and the start of a lifetime journey. If I had known, I would probably have dressed better and had someone take a picture of us dancing in front of the jukebox (before I chose to dip without telling him and we both landed on the floor!).

 I started to get the idea, however, that he was my life-partner later that night when he asked if he could drive me home and I said yes. Prior to my agreement, I probably should have ascertained where he parked - because we had to walk from the pub on Grand River Avenue to the back-forty, commuter lot on the other side of campus. For those unfamiliar with MSU's campus in the '80s, it was about a gazillion miles!! We never made it, because we were going slow talking, laughing and kissing that once we got about half-way we stopped in to a dorm to call a taxi (this was back before cell phones and Uber, when you had to have a dime to use a pay phone!).

 And it was along that walk and subsequent ride, that I had an inkling I could spend the rest of my life talking and laughing and kissing with John Piggins. We clicked and married in 1988, 32 years ago today!

 After 32 years of marriage, I can honestly say that it's sweet to get to this point in our marriage too because the love is deeper and the relationship easier and more solid than I could have ever imagined on that fateful fall day. To have such a wonderful,substantial, constant love and support is a blessing - especially amidst this pandemic. It's a comfort too, for me as a woman full of self-doubt, to have John my self-declared 'biggest fan' by my side. Our greatest 'achievement' as a couple is not as some might think I'd claim the three not-so-little Piggins, it's that we have made it to 32 years of marriage and we are still in love with one another. Who could have guessed when they saw us puddled on the floor, laughing at our folly, in front of the jukebox at PT O'Malley's? (Damn, I'm grateful there weren't cell phones to record THAT!!)

 Together we have battled throat cancer, breast cancer, heart issues, prostate cancer and multiple sclerosis. We have grieved over the loss of loved ones together. We have successfully so far raised three children to be wonderful young adults. We have lived in three different homes and different cities. We have had a few job changes and been unemployed. We have traveled to London and Ireland (pics above) and oodles of places closer to home. We have had one son get married to a wonderful life partner (and we pray they have as many years together!). We have a son live abroad in Uganda and London (talk about gratitude for cell phones and Facetime). And we have a daughter living her passion for theater and making her living in it as well. And we have a deep faith in God and we know that we can lean on and trust God's guidance in our lives.
We have this life together. Life together.

 Happy 32 years, John. I love you deeply, passionately and strongly. You are my life partner, best friend and right now, a pretty damn good coworker as we quarantine together.
Labels:

Comments

  1. UnknownApril 14, 2020 at 6:58 AM

    What a wonderful story....and yes, that is a long walk across campus.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

It's not a popularity contest, but ...

Tough time to be a Pollyanna

Remember when 9/11 was just a date or a number you called in an emergency? Our lives changed dramatically post 9/11. For weeks after that September day, we seemed to walk around in a fog, like the haze that loomed over the now-fallen twin towers. I remember trying to minimize my obsession with the news, trying to keep the three little Piggins away from the enormity of the disaster. Remember when corona was simply a beer best served with a lime wedge? It now and forever will be instead associated with this virus that has upended our world in ways we could never have imagined. This tiny little, microscopic virus has brought the mighty to their knees. It has us quarantined and distancing socially (though I believe we've been doing this emotionally for years) and working from home. As anxiety peaks, our economy tanks. As toilet paper and hand sanitizer flies off the shelves, we are looking for new ways to stock our pantries. A good friend observed, "I never thought I'd...
Post a Comment
Read more

Christmas cards

I sat down to reluctantly address Christmas cards. While our list has slowly dwindled through the years it's still a sizeable number, especially when it's viewed as a task approached reluctantly . Know what I mean? Some Christmas 'tasks' are a lot less taskier - like decorating or shopping or eating or opening presents. I mean, there's a whole different level of enthusiasm associated with 'tasks' that aren't viewed as tasks - I can't ever remember a time when I sat down to reluctantly open a present or eat a Christmas cookie! Anyway, I approached the Christmas card addressing with a less-than-positive, more bah-humbugish attitude. I poured a cup of coffee, grabbed the markers (I had to have a green, a red and a black one), the list and of course the envelopes (which John had already stuffed with the card). I turned on some Christmas music, but not too loud or it would distract me (and it really doesn't take much to distract me. Squirrel!),...
Post a Comment
Read more

Treatment begins

Today is the first day of the rest of my life. Today is the day I begin, at last, treatment. Today is the day I begin to kick cancer's ass. Today is the day I start infusing ugly, nasty, side-affect laden, toxic chemicals for the greater good. Today is a day that I wish I could rewrite the script for completely deleting the part requiring me to need breast cancer chemo. And yet, here it is and at 1:15 EST I will be at the Cancer & Hematology Center in Holland. It's where I will be a lot for the next five months. It's where I will, I'm sure (and surety is something I have less of these days as I know not how I will respond to chemo), create new friendships and forge bonds with people that I am currently unfamiliar. Because that's who I am; a lover of people and a woman that wants to know and love on all the people she comes to meet.  I don't know why I have breast cancer but someday I will ask God (along with a whole bunch of other questions!). I do b...
Post a Comment
Read more