To Us

It is almost unbelievable that Jon and I are celebrating 50 years of marriage. Gratitude seems like a simple word but for many this day doesn't come.  It's been a "long, strange journey" at times for many reasons but through the twists and turns, side excursions and really all of it, I'm glad for the person I chose.  With Logan and all of our close friends and family in other parts of the country and because of who we are, we chose to celebrate it alone.  It was a wonderful day capped off with a great dinner at Ruth's Chris Steak House. We are not particularly steak people (Jon had salmon) but the food and the waitstaff were impeccable. The restaurant is on the Cape Fear River, so the setting was lovely too though it was a bit too warm to sit outside. After dinner, it was the opening of the UNCW Arts Department Southern Circuit Tour at Jengo's Playhouse. Tonight's movie was Refuge - a very interesting documentary on a new concept of pairing a refugee, new to the U.S. with a White Supremacist to help each understand the other. I have a friend who belongs to a church that asks members to pair up with each other and role play this same scenario, but to do it in real time was very powerful. The distrust that builds into a friendship. In this particular pairing, the white supremacist was a recovering addict living at the poverty line and the the refugee was a doctor practicing in Clarkston, Georgia, the most diverse city in America. Fascinating stuff. Much more about the movie and the actors here. If you're interested.

One more photo of the happy couple in Extra.