In-Between

On November 13th, 1999, Richard and I got married. On November 15th, 2000, our daughter was born. This arrangement of dates caused some confusion for her as a young child. I noticed that, when playing with dolls, a couple would get married and then drive directly to the hospital to pick up their baby. The intervening year was lost on her. It was a one-shot deal.

Having a baby a year and two days after getting married has pretty much decimated our wedding anniversary. It's really seen just as a herald of the off-spring's Big Day. Ah, well. Once you have kids, everything becomes about them in one way or another, right?

Over time November 14th has come to have its own personality. We call it "the In-Between Day." It's like the eye of the hurricane. Its existence serves to keep the other two celebrations separate, so they don't run together. While the birthday gets way more whoopdedoo than the anniversary, still each deserves its own space. Despite my daughter's initial confusion, the "I'll love you forever--BAM!--childbirth" scenario isn't remotely palatable.

The In-Between Day is a contemplative day. It is a time to remember the joys of courtship and the journey of our marriage. It is also a time to recall how blessed we were to bring Margo into this world. Now that she is a teenager she has no patience for those "remember when you were little?" stories. But that doesn't stop me from thinking about them.

So today I think, appreciate, remember. And tomorrow my daughter will be fourteen years old. How is that even possible? In the last week she has already started telling people that she is fourteen. Me? I need one more day to get ready.

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