from there to here

I remember the day we brought home our first television. I was 9, my brother was 7. It was a warm summer Sunday filled with all the activities that made up what my mom termed as "the first day of work". Sundays were always busy, the only measurement of the passage of time that we had were marked by the activities we finished; laundry, dishes, cleaning the kitchen and bathrooms, followed by weekly excursion to the market. Breakfast would mark the start of a race that would end sometime around 3pm when my brother and I would finally be able to play outside with our friends.

On this particular Sunday our normal chores were interrupted by an impromptu trip to our local Salvation Army. My brother and I enjoyed visits to this store more than the market and definitely more than shopping for clothing. We would be able to lose ourselves in a repository of treasures neatly organized and made as presentable as possible. Every item possessing a story of some sort, waiting for someone to come by and extend it's life for a while longer.

My brother spent most of our time in the toy section always trying to find something that we could take home. The trick was being able to find the 'grab bag' that had as many pieces of whatever toy you intended of getting so you weren't missing something crucial or necessary to make it work.

By now we were about half a year into our current school year and the thing that my brother and I were beginning to notice is that despite attending an SDA school, there was a lot of television watching by our classmates. Apparently, the supposed rules of the faith were only enforced in our home. This hard line stance by my mother was always an issue of contention but without the support of my father, this was a battle not even worth suiting up for.

Due to the lack of media penetration in our home my brother and I had started to spend time in the furniture section of the store. Every time we went we would run there first and see what new models of televisions there were, secretly hoping one of them would follow up home. After dropping many an unheeded hint to my mom, we figured it was a lost cause, but we were kids - relentless is the word, right?

On this particular trip my mom had disappeared and after two quick trips around the store we were unable to find her. My brother and I headed back to the toy section just to make sure that we could be found. We waited for a bit and finally my mom arrived to gather us up. Surprisingly, she didn't have any packages with her but we didn't mind because by now we were pretty hungry for lunch.

When we arrived at the station wagon we noticed there was a large piece of furniture in the back. Curious to see what it was my brother and I ran to check it out. When we saw what it was I think we just stared at it as if we were witnessing a miracle right in front of us. Believe me, the burning bush didn't have anything on that Zenith.

When we got home that day everything was pretty much a blur until we got the television plugged into the wall. It was black and white and there wasn't a remote to be found but hell, it worked. When it popped and began to show the picture it pretty much made up for the time my bag of army men was missing all the tank platoon soldiers and my general.

The first show we watched together was "The Mummy". We watched it while eating a sandwich and drinking a glass of coca-cola.

The day was a good day - no chores, a less than healthy meal and the promise of regularly scheduled programming coming directly to our house. A brand new world opened up and I let it all pour in.

Now as I enjoy a fairly decent LCD television and surround sound system I can't help but remember that day with fondness. I'm also reminded that sometimes I would sell my mom short as a child growing up. Hindsight is a beautiful thing if you can learn from it. Despite the compromise my mom made that day I still can't help but thankful for the effort she made to bridge the gap between what we needed and what we wanted.

It didn't seem like it at the time but life was good. I'm sure of that now.

Some things are meant to last.

Karen and I were able to share a special moment with some friends of ours tonight - The renewal of wedding vows. Many times we forget about how big of an accomplishment it can be, how through the years you've managed to weather the tough times and hopefully nurtured and supported each other through best moments of your life together. In a world that prides itself in it's cynicism it's nice to know that you can make it if you try.

I was touched by the vows because as I listened to them I was given a brief glimpse into secret corners of a relationship that we're still getting to know. The words were honest and carefully crafted to reflect a deep and pure love and hearing them recite them to each other made me smile.

Today, our friends celebrated 10 years together and while Karen and I officially celebrated seven years together we look forward to 10 and 20 and beyond.

I know that sometimes it's easier to focus on the things that don't work, but I know that if you put in some time and effort you can reap incredible rewards. My advice? If you have someone special in your life, take the time to have fun, remember the things that brought you together and with any luck the years will be easy and pass quickly.

As for our friends. we wish them the best from the bottom of our hearts. I just have a feeling that they're doing really well all on their own.

Happy Anniversary S&N!