MORE THAN YESTERDAY, LESS THAN TOMORROW

Sunday Gerald and I celebrated our fortieth wedding anniversary. Rather than spending money for anniversary presents--ruby is for the fortieth-- and since my engagement ring is ruby--we decided to spend the money to see and hear Joe Biden at the Ohio Democratic Party annual dinner on June 25. Today we went to the Olive Garden and used a gift card given to him as a birthday present. We held hands across the table and the waitress smiled. We reminisced about our wedding day and how, when we got back to our apartment, I had made him an omelet and then fell asleep on the couch. I told him a secret--that when we were dating, I made notes to have conversation gambits--because I was afraid he would find me boring. Tonight we talked, sans notes, about Keith Olbermann returning to TV, remembering Andy Goodman, David McCullough's new book, my schedule for the week and his schedule, and he also reminded me to fetch his suit from the cleaners before Saturday. That's married talk. Four of the waitresses came and sang "Happy Anniversary" to us.

A young friend recently asked, after spending some time with us, "I can't believe you guys still have stuff to talk about after all these years; my grandparents don't say anything to each other." I answered, "That's because we're not worn out from being grandparents!"

Gerald signs his cards, "More than yesterday, less than tomorrow." which is from the famous French quote, "Je t'aime, plus qu'hier moins que demain": "I love you more than yesterday, less than tomorrow." Not a day goes by that we do not tell each other "I love you," No "love ya" allowed! I love--and like--him more today than the day we were married. He loves my family as his own and considers my brothers to be his brothers. I wish I were as good a person as he.

Humor is much appreciated in my family and I always say that I'll forgive almost anything if a person is funny.

Some of Gerald's best lines:

"Sue, you're good; too bad you're not nice."

"Thanks for sticking with me through THICK.", a pun on the cliche, "Through thick and thin." I grabbed hold of my "baloney roll" and patted his belly and said, "Literally!"

I'm older than Gerald and recently when I said that "I'm older than dirt"; Gerald responded, "And I'm dirt!"

"I married her for her sense of humor and found out the joke was on me!"

Members of his family commented in 1971 that our marriage wouldn't last 6 months. The joke is on them!