Happy Anniversary! Its not the pale moon that excites me, thrills and delights me.....it's just the nearness of you! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY IN HEAVEN!

February 21, 1954

Happy Anniversary mommy and daddy!  68 years and you are able to celebrate together again.  It brings me such joy to know that.  You are both so missed, every single day.  I feel even safer and more at ease knowing you are both up there watching over us all.  I have told my children numerous times in the last nearly 2 months - I am not worried.  Yaya AND Poppa have it.  Just like when I was little.  

I want to thank you both once again, for being my foundation.  I am fortunate enough to have my children thanking me for the same things I have thanked you for over the years.  As you know, I did my best to instill the sense of family in them that you instilled in me.  I wanted them to feel safe and to know I would always have their backs like you always had ours.  I want to thank you for giving me that foundation.  Growing up I never worried about anything.  I knew you would always take care of anything and everything.  I miss that feeling on the physical level.  

It's funny, when we were planning Daddy's memorial I wanted everything the same as we did for yours mommy.  My siblings had to say, many times, "they are not one person". 

Ummm in my mind you were.  You were a unit.  I know (because as an adult my relationship with both of you was very different) that you were not always in perfect unison (that was a tough pill to swallow---my parents?  human?  the travesty! 😉)  However, I know how important it was to you both to have everything equal.  I guess that is where I got my obsession with fairness.  

When Daddy passed, my oldest child saw you both up there dancing.  He asked me if you guys used to dance.  Wow.  It was sad to me that he never got to see those days!  When you danced together it was magic.  DTM and Lu have had similar signs.  I know in my heart of hearts that you are both just so happy to be together again.  But I am not going to deny, it sucks.  Daddy I hear you SO clearly it is as if you are still here.  But you need to let mommy talk too you know, she had the floor for nearly 7 years and she's back to letting you take the wheel.💞  I still need to hear her too.

I know I have done many things that were hard for you to accept and understand---yet you never made me feel judged or like I disappointed you.  I remember when I said I was moving to Arizona, mommy said "Over my dead body!" and  I said "you don't live here, sorry you don't get a say".  And that

was the last I heard of it.  I am sure watching me make mistakes and decisions that you did not approve of were really difficult, yet you never made me feel unsupported.  Thank you for that.  I know first hand how difficult it is but you gave me an example to follow.  DTM called me the other day and needed me immediately.  I dropped everything and ran over (this is a rare occurrence, he is quite fiercely independent).  On the way home, after I took a breath I remembered calling you in Florida at 6 am from Long Island because I found a mouse half dead next to my stereo and I didn't know what to do. 😏  You responded "Tina, I'm 1300 miles away what do you want me to do?  Put a can over it until the landlord comes over"  I was so upset at the time.  It was the first time you could not fix it for me.  Looking back I realize it was probably hard on you as well.  

You two certainly were an amazing blueprint for what a marriage should be.  You never stopped holding hands.  You were there for one another first and foremost.  Nothing came above your marriage.  The sacrifices you made, I am sure, were not easy but you made them without anger, or resentment.  And now?  Now you rest in peace, and love....together (as it should be) for eternity.

Happy Anniversary mommy and daddy!  Salud!  Appletinis, Manhattans and shrimp cocktail for everyone!  I love you both----thank you for being the best there was!!!!  My God, how I miss you xoxoxoxo💔

it was NOT just a day in the life.  It is a day that began an amazing love story!