"All I Have To Do Is Dream", 64 years ago!

"All I Have To Do Is Dream," 63 years ago!

Sixty-four years ago, my parents wed in Anderson, SC. 

I wrote most of this last year for their 62nd anniversary, but I wanted to add to this 64th celebration. My parents have been troupers through the pandemic. Yes, there were some complaints along the way and one errant toilet paper shortage scare, but they held up better than most. My mother learned to order groceries online. They weathered storms, power outages, and even an occasional doctor's appointment with more patience than most. When the vaccine came out, they were first in line, knowing how important this would be for them.

With my sister's help and perseverance, they made it through without catching COVID and without most of the stress and complaints that those much younger seemed too eager to share.

We did Zoom calls with family, birthday Zoom call for Dad's 90th, and more Zoom calls with me to update their computers. That said, through it all, while other people complained, they understood the focus was to stay well and healthy for themselves, each other, and their families.

Their strength and love for each other were also inspirations for me during the pandemic. I realized more than once how lucky we were to be safe at home and able to get out and walk the dog and the cat. I would complain about not being able to see them during the height of the pandemic, and they would continue to say the most important thing was to stay healthy and remind me how long I would have to quarantine in Savannah!

So, back to some history with Mom and Dad.

According to Google, the top song this week in 1958 was "All I Have To Do Is Dream" by the Everly Brothers. According to Wikipedia, "It was the only single ever to be at No. 1 on all of the Billboard singles charts simultaneously, on June 2, 1958." It sounds rather appropriate when you think of my parent's marriage.

Their relationship has weathered storms of children, friends, and family passing away, a few hurricanes, including those provided by mother nature, and  64 years later, they celebrate their wedding and marriage.

On a Zoom call with their grandchildren in Israel, Dad remembered that their first date included dancing at Johnny Harris. You could see the gleam in his eye, how much he would like to go dancing with Mom once again, but Johnny Harris is closed.

Their bond is as one. It took me a while to realize that they don't have secrets from each other. If you said don't tell Mom or Dad something, it was a waste of breath because either they were both listening together, they already knew, or they would very shortly.  

One of their greatest traits as parents was they parented together as a unit and were very consistent, even when I was hoping for a different outcome.   I once asked my Dad how they raised three children that were so different.   His comment was we were not as different as I thought as they shared a priority that we were good people.  

Some particular memories of mine this morning:

• I spent an early Thanksgiving and birthday in Anderson. Usually, Thanksgiving in Anderson was a big affair with my aunt, uncle, cousins, and my siblings, of course. But this year it was just me, Mom, Dad and my Grandmother. Not sure where everyone else was, but we celebrated at the Elk's Club in Anderson. It made me feel very special.

• I don't remember where, but I remember being at an event. My parents were next to one another but talking to other people. They both reached out for each other's hand without saying a word.

• My Bar Mitzvah, not because of what you may think. My actual Bar Mitzvah was a week after my birthday. My folks took me out on my birthday and bought me a watch. It was a Timex with a digital screen and a light. I had that watch for a long time, but the memory is much longer. They told me they didn't want to forget my actual birthday. They made sure that neither I nor my birthday was forgotten in a rush to the parties, to my leading services, to planning a Hanukah pizza party.

• Mom and Dad visited when I was living in Highland Park, NJ. Was a great house, actually, and a story for another day, but Mom and Dad came up to visit. We had a good time and went to see Golda's Balcony on Broadway. According to Google, this was in 2003. When the play was over, it was wonderful, of course, I realized we had about twenty minutes to get to Penn Station and catch the next train back to New Brunswick. If you know my Dad, you can imagine he was more than eager to get out of Manhattan. We hustled down Broadway, which may have been raining even, and made the train with time to spare.

• One more fun story to tell, my first house in the New York City area was in a town called Valley Cottage, right up the hill from Nyack. Mom and Dad came to visit around a Kashdan Bar or Bat Mitzvah, I believe. We had a great time, and all was well, and it was time for them to fly home. I think it was out of Laguardia. They decided they needed to take a sandwich on the plane in Silverman fashion. Not just any sandwich would do. So, we went to the kosher supermarket near Valley Cottage. That was not good enough. We went to another deli closer to the house. No, that was not good enough. So, I remembered a kosher market and Deli in New Rochelle, NY, on the way to the airport. That they liked, and the proprietor loved their southern accent.

The other quality of them together is their shared focus on family. Not just us, my grandparents, and any family member if they needed something or were in town.  

They are not just celebrating 64 years of marriage. They observe more than 64 years of love and a relationship that we would all wish for in our lives. As I mature, I realize how rare it is to have such a deep love for one another and the effort to sustain a happy marriage and love over so many years. 

Wishing Mom and Dad a very happy anniversary!