Summer Vacation, Day 82: Closet

We bought this house on my recommendation. Jodi was still in Michigan when I put the offer on it, in part because we needed a place to live and I’d been here a month already, living in the the Residence Inn in downtown Minneapolis.

I’d looked at a number of homes, and this was easily my favorite – some of what I wanted, some of what she wanted, three bedrooms, 1-3/4 baths, etc. Jodi saw photos of the place, but never walked around in it until we’d already agreed to buy it. At that point, she walked into the downstairs bedroom, and said, “Huh. There’s no closet.”

Sure enough, there wasn’t. I’d noticed many, many other things, but not that. “Oh, well,” I said. “We can put one in when the kids are older and need it.”

“But without a closet, I don’t think it counts as a bedroom,” she said.

“So? We’ll still use it as one, won’t we?”

In her infinite patience, Jodi neither hit me nor called me a moron. She simply said, “We’re paying for a three-bedroom house, not a two-bedroom house.”

D’oh! To this day, I always warn young men against house-hunting without their brides, and if they must, I warn them to especially note the closets.

Today – five years later – I put shelves and rods up for the boys closet. So tired, but Jode is so happy! Good night, all.

Summer Vacation, Day 74: A Good Day

This, my friends, is a good day. I don’t often wax religious on these pages, but we spent this Sunday morning where we ought to: in church. We were seated with our friends and their families, and the music was tremendous (an unlikely-looking older fellow in a resort shirt with two buttons open, singing nearly like an operatic tenor, flanked by several sweet-voiced church ladies).

After mass, our new god-daughter, Addelyn, was baptized, along with six other children. She slept peacefully through the first half of the ceremony, until the deacon anointed her chest, then looked in wide wonder as she was baptized with water, marked with chrism, dressed in her white baptismal garment, and entranced by her baptismal flame. We’ve been godparents before, but this one hit home – she feels like one of our own. We love her, and we’ve told her so.

I sat, carefully holding her candle, gazing at this little girl. Then I turned to Jodi and said, “Happy Anniversary.”

That’s right: 12 years now. Jodi and I were once talking to a former coworker of mine at a bar, and he told her that I seemed like the happiest married man he’d ever met. He joked with me that I might be the only one. I didn’t know whether to feel happy or sad about that.

Today I know: I’m happy. Thank God for Jodi – and little Addy, too!

Summer Vacation, Day 40: Birthday Girl!

Rather than wasting time reading this ol’ thing, drop Jodi an email at thorpgang@hotmail.com and wish her a happy birthday. Her birthday was today (Sunday), and she says it was a good one. But I’m sure she’ll like hearing from you.

I’m a lucky fellow. Twelve years married next month – even my dad couldn’t believe it’d been that long already!

A guy I used to work with would ask, “Happily?” Absolutely.

Summer Vacation, Day 11: Engaged

Jodi and I helped to lead a retreat for engaged couples today. If ever you seek to recall what sparked love between you and your mate and what keeps it alive today, surround yourself with young couples who sincerely want to hear your stories, share, and listen.

Oh, and I finished The Great Gatsby today. Beautiful and tragic. More on that tomorrow, Coach.

Could Be A Song, If I Were Musical …

Blogger’s Note: Been thinking about this one for awhile now. Feels like a good first draft. Jinglebob oughta like it; maybe Doug’ll set it to music …

The Pressure Of No Pressure
She thinks I do no wrong – each night
I let her know just how I’m right
She lets me lie to her despite
She thinks I hung the moon

She’s heard the good stuff and the best
I never bother with the rest
What she sees I haven’t guessed
She thinks I hung the moon

And every little slight is dissolved
In her arms each night
And I find warmth and grace and light there
But no pressure

All that she wants me to be
Is here beside her and happy –
And I’d give her the earth, the sea,
The starry skies and yes the moon

And every little slight is dissolved
In her arms each night
And I find warmth and grace and light there
But no pressure

There’s no place to hang a moon here
Cracking paint and peeling paper
And there’s no place to write a song here
But I’ll try
And there’s no place to stash the stars here
Come high tide we’ll flood the neighbors
And I can’t give her this whole world now
But I’ll try

She’s all I know but I don’t say
It wouldn’t matter anyway
She knows I know what’s what – and hey
She thinks I hung the moon

And every little slight is dissolved
In her arms each night
And I find warmth and grace and light there
But no pressure

And every single sin
Proclaims what kind of shape I’m in
And Lord knows how a man can grin
With all this pressure

J. Thorp
25 Feb 2008