1 December 1977
Mr. Kerry and I have regaled all day as we celebrate our 43rd anniversary. We have recounted the special moments of the day - when all of us who were camping out at my parents' apartment woke up early to go up the hill to the Washington Temple. Even Kerry slept on a cot, for he didn't want to miss this day!
His family had driven out from Utah and were staying in a camper and hotel nearby, and his grandparents had flown in a day or so before.
Everyone was in a flurry - except us. We were like the eye in the middle of a hurricane.
My mom had dreamed of this day, for I was her youngest daughter and was getting married in the Washington Temple. They had been serving there for several months, and I had joined them months later.
But, Mom had suffered a heart attack in August on the day Elvis Presley died. It wasn't because he had died. It just happened to be on the same day.
Just after 10:00 am, Kerry and looked into each other's eyes, joined our hands, and were married for time and all eternity.
Mom had to go back to the apartment after a few pictures were taken, but she had been there to see us married. They really, really liked Kerry, and were so happy to see him join our family. They tolerated me.
Kerry's parents hosted a wedding breakfast at the 14th Street Marriott, and we joined other people at a small reception at my parents' apartment. The next day we would leave for Ohio for a larger reception. Mom and Dad weren't able to make the trip for that.
So, our married life began. It has endured. It will endure.
Not too long after our wedding, I was working in the temple when I saw a woman pushing what appeared to be her husband in a wheelchair. They were positively beaming at each other! The adoration they had for each other was so apparent.
I had an opportunity to talk with her a bit later, and said to her, "Tell me your story."
They had been married for 36 years. After only one month of marriage, something had happened to her husband. I honestly can't recall if it was an illness, or an accident, or even a mosquito bite (I might be getting the mosquito bite mixed up with someone else.) But, it rendered him paralyzed from the waist down. He would be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
However, his mind was not affected, for he worked for NASA in the engineering division in Washington, DC.
Only one child would come from their marriage. He was born approximately nine months afterward. There would never be another opportunity for any more children, for the physical side of their union was now over.
Yet, they adored each other. Some may say that she didn't sign up for that. Her answer was, "Well, yes I did."
I wanted my marriage to be like that.
I have had wonderful examples of good marriages in my life - and I've also seen some that left me determined I would never treat someone I love in that manner.
So, Mr. Kerry love and remember and sanction and appreciate and cherish this day when we commemorate our married life beginning. Of special import is the man who married us. Edward E. Drury was Kerry's Mission President. Our "boss" at the temple. And, the man who married us.
Kerry wasn't my first love. But, he will always be my last.
#HappyAnniversarytoUs
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