August 13, 2007. I started the day in a huge jacuzzi tub in Las Vegas. The evening already knew what the morning couldn't even imagine. At 5 o'clock a limo came and took us to the Chapel, and then took us to the courthouse, then back to the chapel. William Robert Stephenson and Carol Ruth Holbrook were married. The limo took us to the restaurant, where they treated us so royally. I felt like a movie star. The owner even came to our table with champagne to toast our new marriage. We took a cab back to the hotel. Flash forward now three years. We went out to dinner. He even said I could take a picture, but of all times, I didn't have my camera. We exchanged cards. His said To the Woman I'll Always Love. Mine On Our Anniversary. It had other better sentiments. I opened his card and there was a little piece of paper. It took me several seconds to realize my husband had written me a love poem! Instantly tears sprang to my eyes. My husband writes poetry. It is usually existential, thought provoking, profoundly aiming at some spiritual truth. But a poem for me, this is the first.
When We've Kissed by Bill Stephenson to Carol August 13, 2010
"When we've kissed,
New life breathes into me,
And I feel the hope of a new beginning.
When we've kissed,
She then holds me and looks into my eyes,
And I feel my life becoming stronger.
Fear has no place in my heart.
I look to the now with confidence
And no longer feel controlled by regrets.
When we've kissed,
I feel myself giving to the adventure
Of a love that will never let me go.
Wow! And I fall in love with this man who is my husband all over again.
We come home and watch a movie on our new flat screen TV after a few frustrating moments of getting it to work and having the Geek squad talk us through it over the phone. It's the start of a beautiful romantic evening I will refer to as our "couple time."We even watched the video of our wedding. What a wonderful 3rd anniversary! I feel wonderfully loved and happily content to be in this here and now.
