One day when we were standing together at church Jason looked me in the eye and said, “I’m not the last brother you’re going to have.” He had that serious look when he said it. And he had the gift of knowing seemingly impossible things, so I believed him even though it made me sad. He’d let us know that he was applying to MFA programs in theater all across the country, and we knew he’d be snatched up if there was anyone smart left in the world. Our time with them living close by was drawing to an end, and I didn’t like it one bit. I couldn’t help but be happy for him, though. He’d sacrificed so much, and his heart so obviously yearned to be involved with work on the stage. Keith and I were both thrilled and heart-broken.

We knew already, I think, that the Friday Friends as such could not survive without them. They were the glue. Jason naturally ran interference between a couple people who cared about each other but weren’t really compatible. Linda was the planner. She gave our little troupe of eccentrics stability and just enough structure so that group events actually happened. They both had a gift for building bridges between people who wouldn’t otherwise get along.

Before they left we celebrated our tenth wedding anniversary. Keith had vowed to himself that it would be a big deal, because our honeymoon had completely and totally sucked. I’ll leave that for another post. Just think band camp, Wisconsin, car problems, emotional meltdown, canned fruit and Precious Moments figurines. It was all kinds of bad at epic proportions. Anyway, the up side is that Keith splurged on our tenth. Keith’s Dad had been a spy (yes, really) and I claim he inherited the spy gene. He’s profoundly gifted at sneakiness, in the best possible sense.

He created our anniversary as an event that would unfold for me bit by bit. Dinner at a nice restaurant was first and he made sure there were flowers waiting at the table. When it was time for dessert he managed to subtly steer me toward a different cafe. When we went inside he spoke to the hostess and we were magically whisked to the front of the line. As soon as I went through the doorway I saw, sitting there as though they didn’t live 2000 miles away, my childhood pastor and his lovely wife. I think I may have squealed. These were people with whom my family had spent holidays. Tom had married us ten years earlier and had proven himself trustworthy and kind in immeasurable ways. They’d known me since I was eight years old and my heart was already full with the grand surprise when they said they were going to visit Barbara’s brother the next day and would love for us to come along. I was over the moon.

The next day Keith ran off on some mysterious errand and returned with a friend’s red, Mustang convertible. Then off we went in style, but strangely, when we finally got to Barbara’s brother we only stayed for five minutes and left again. It was somewhat surprising since they lived so far apart, but none of my business. I happily tagged along until I finally realized we weren’t in fact headed toward home. We actually had arrived at the ferry to Orcas Island. The four of us were going to spend the night at one of my favorite places on earth, in a lovely little inn overlooking the east island bay! Heaven! I don’t think I’d ever been so happy. I was happy on our wedding day, of course, but I was too nervous to be what you’d call “giddy.”

After breakfast the following morning we went back to our rooms and Keith pulled out a dress of mine that he’d packed with his things, along with the shoes I’d worn to our wedding. I’d been purging our 600 sq. ft. condo earlier but he’d snagged them out of the bag to Goodwill. Now here they were, transformed by an artist friend to match my dress. It says something about my commitment to yoga pants that he still had to convince me to dress up. I did finally consent and he took me out, across the street to the adorable white clapboard church I’d fallen in love with when we’d been to the island before. And then I recognized it. My pastor’s deep baritone came rumbling a hymn out over the lawn and my knees began to tremble. I made it up the steps and through the front doors, and there were most of my dearest friends, all gathered together to celebrate the two of us as we renewed our vows. There was a full reception following, complete with a professional video message Keith had made to tell our story.

Yes. It was the most romantic thing ever and I felt surrounded by love. Most people wait until later, maybe the 25th anniversary, for a splurge like that. Most couples haven’t overcome all that Keith and I have. Keith also said he felt a certain urgency about it. Jason and Linda were still with us and the Friday Friends were still intact. We didn’t know how much we’d need the memory of that special time, but we did know that life is short. We’ve always wanted to live in the now, and not wait to do everything we dream of at a much later date. So in that time, with all those precious friends, we knew we’d done something important. It wasn’t just fun and romantic, although it was both. It was an alter of sorts in both our lives. We could look back and be reminded of the many great gifts we’d been given.