Past, Present and Future?

1982-2015

Yesterday, my son-in-law, Roland, emailed me pictures of his sons sled riding. It immediately triggered memories for me. I knew that that particular sled had been photographed many times over the years and that it had special memories for me from my own childhood.

A Flexible Flyer sled,
 from 1936, within the
permanent collection of
 The Children's Museum of Indianapolis.
Credit: Wikipedia

When I was a child, one of seven in my family, we had three wooden sleds of various sizes that we shared among us. At some point, I inherited the one pictured above. It was in pretty rough shape.

Fast-forward to 1982 and I was a single parent to Elizabeth and had recently started dating my now husband, Bill Reed. Bill had some skills, and I wanted to have him rehab the sled for Liz at Christmas. Bill replaced a couple of the boards and varnished the whole thing. We also wrote to the company that made the sled and they provided us with a new "Flexible Flyer" decal. The first two pictures on the upper left include Bill, me and Liz when we gave the sled to her. I'm sure it meant more to me than it did to her. It brought back memories of my Dad.


When our first grandson, Ian, came along, we decided to pass it on to him. I cherish the picture of Bill with Ian making final adjustments to the sled. It snowed here in Cincinnati, and Liz, Roland and Ian took advantage of the fresh snow with the old sled. Ian, in the pictures with the brown hat, delighted in this new experience -- as did Grandma with camera in hand.

So on January 31st, 2015, new pictures arrived in my inbox. Andrew, pictured on the bottom right in a blue hat, clearly loved his ride on the sled. Pictures of Ian on the "new" green plastic sled were also included, as well as a couple of videos. I guess I'm sentimental, but these traditions mean far more to me than any other kind of gift. On this date, I am grateful for my many blessings.

Bill's 77th Birthday!

"Congratulations on making it to a day neither one of us thought you would live to see."
                                                                              My husband's cardiologist when Bill turned 70.

Anyone that knows Bill knows that he has definitely beat the odds. He had his first heart attack when he was 42. He's had several since resulting in two triple-bypass surgeries and one double stent insertion. Among family and friends, we often joke about Bill "threatening" to be dead and never following through. He just keeps on rollin' . . .

I met Bill 32 years ago this month when I was a divorced, single parent of a not-quite-three year old daughter. The fact that we've been married for 26 years was definitely NOT in the cards. Who knows how these things happen.

We've had a wonderful life together. We've had the opportunity to camp our way from coast to coast of this beautiful country and Canada and travel overseas several times to Europe and once to Israel. We are very compatible travelers and wish we could do more. We spent 30 years sailing on weekends and had a  wonderful group of  friends who shared this passion with us. In recent years, we've replaced that hobby with  cycling along the Little Miami Bike Trail. Bill has logged almost 6000 miles on his "comfort" bike.

Bill is supported by several men friends including the members of C.A.K.E.S. (Coffee and Kibitzing Every Sunday) and his "Monday Lunch Group." I've never encountered such a caring group of men.

I have to admit that I'm in an unusually reflective mood as we reach this milestone. There are so many things I could discuss -- Bill's daughter in Tennessee, Liz, Roland and the two wonderful grandsons we have, the three dogs we've shared (Scruffy, Anchor and Zippy), but something else is on my mind this year.

A couple of weeks ago, my daughter told me that her son, Ian, was asked in Sunday School to draw a picture of someone he loved. He explained to his parents that despite loving them, he had chosen to draw a picture of Grandpa Bill because Grandpa Bill had given him some yellow trucks. These trucks were vintage die cast trucks, probably from the 50s. Ian loves his trucks -- and needless to say, Grandpa Bill loved hearing the story. So it made me think of one of my favorite pictures.

Ian and Bill walking into Heather's wedding, July 2011

So happy birthday, Bill. I know you are loving your life right now. Just keep on rollin' . . .

Love,
Kath

Bill Reed's 75th Birthday!

Kath and Bill
Photo Credit:  Mark Jones

Today is my husband's 75th birthday!  This, in itself, is quite an accomplishment.  Bill suffered is first of many heart attacks when he was 42 years old.  He's had two triple-bypass heart surgeries and double stents put in. And yet yesterday we indulged in one of our guilty pleasures -- riding our bikes the eleven miles to Loveland.  Bill has always loved exercise, and his cardiologist would be the first one to tell you that that is the reason he is still here.

Bill is my second husband.  He has one daughter, Julie, from his previous marriage.  We met when I was a divorced single parent of a less than three-year old daughter.  When we started dating, my daughter who was used to having me all to herself, did not feel like we needed anyone else in our lives.  He hung in there, however, and we were married 5 1/2 years later.

Roland, Bill, and Kathy on Elixir

Bill is NOT defined by his health.  One of his favorite passions was sailing.  For more than 30 years, Bill spent just about every weekend from May through October on whatever boat he had at the time.  As I grew up in a family of "stink boaters," having a sailboat was "heresy." Now our son-in-law, Roland, is Elixir's owner and captain.

We have been married for 24 years.  Not only was Bill a "father" to my daughter, but now has the privilege of being a "grandfather" to Ian.  I've been blessed by knowing him for thirty years.  The joke in our family is that Bill is always on the verge of "dying."  When we decided to get married, I was led to believe I'd only have to make it through a couple of years (since he'd be dead before too long).  Not only have I shared most of my adult life with him, but we've also been able to travel together all over the United States, Canada, Europe and Israel. He is the BEST travel companion.  We know how to accommodate each other's health issues.

So I wish the best for Bill as we move forward from here.   I'm grateful for the wonderful partner he is.

Ian, Kath, Bill, Roland and Liz - Easter 2011
Photo Credit:  Mark Jones, Nephew

Love

Kath

New Years Day 2011

New Years Day is always special for me.  Twenty-four years ago my husband had the foresight to choose January 1st as our wedding day.  He thought it was a good idea to pick a date we would not forget. Both of us had been married before and each of us had a child from a previous marriage.

For us, at least, getting married the second time was nothing like the first.  Instead of a big wedding, we got married in front of the fireplace at my mother's house.  Only family and a couple of really close friends attended.  Even the judge was a personal friend of my husband.

Bill and I had been together for 5 1/2 years and were in no hurry to get married again. I had been divorced since my daughter was a year old.  Bill and I started dating before my daughter was three years old (his daughter was an adult).   By now both of us owned our own homes and life was pretty good.

Liz, Ian and the Train

A few weeks before the wedding, Bill and I went shopping to find a train to give my daughter for Christmas.  Over a bowl of chili, we discussed the pros and cons of getting married.  We were getting tired of two lawns to cut, two utility bills and duplicates of every device.  Driving back and forth was becoming more and more of a hassle, so in a weak moment, it seemed as if the pros outweighed the cons.

We had a dog, Scruffy, who had been a stray.  He was one of those once-in-a-lifetime dogs.  More than once Bill suggested that we get married, supposedly so he could have Scruffy.  Even the dog got depressed when he went home.

Today is our 24th wedding anniversary!  We didn't do anything special because Bill is suffering from a pretty bad cold.  I decided to pull out the wedding pictures.  Once again I was shocked at the changes over 24 years.

Julie, Frances, Bill, Kath, Virginia, and Liz

Twenty-four years ago both of our mothers were alive.  My daughter was a little girl. How life has changed.  Even Scruffy, who served as the "Best Man", was still alive. 

So I asked my husband whether or not he has any regrets. He says he does not.  I can honestly say that both of us are happy with the commitment we made on January 1, 1987. 

Given our ages and some health problems we've both experienced along the way, neither of us takes anything for granted.  Yet we are grateful -- for each other and the lives we've shared.

I wish all of you a Happy New Year 2011!   We'll see where it takes us.

Photo Credit: www.zastavki.com