TO JEAN, ON WHAT WOULD HAVE BEEN HER 50TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY, April 1999

What matters it the full year’s quota, when
A lifetime was so full of love?
Count not the years in numbers past,
Rather the seasons shared and worked,
Tilling the ground and teaching the young.
There is so much to cherish and remember,
But life is also to be lived, each day anew.
Each moment precious, as the spring
Begins to flower. Our love speeds over
The oceans wide to wrap you with its
Joy and hope. Your love, so freely given,
Enriches all who come your way.
Celebrate the past and future with your
Smiles and tears and fare forward
To that future, joyful in what lies ahead.

JEB

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