(Guitar intro) Got my first real 6-string; bought it at the 5 and Dime. Played it 'til my fingers bled- was the summer of '69...

You know the song- and you know you love it. Be HONEST!!!! What a perfect summer song. The summer of '69 was a very important one in my life. In fact, my life hinges on a monumental event of that summer- my mom and dad got married!! So you can see how that's kinda crucial, right? Then, three years later, along came ME. But I digress...

My dad, however, has never (to my knowledge) played a 6-string, or any instrument for that matter, 'til his fingers bled. And my mom has only ever played a flute- or was it the clarinet?- hardly a fitting instrument for a rock band!! But, still, I love the song.

So, thirty-seven years of marriage. How fantastic is that? It is a testimony to God's grace, because neither of my parents were believers when they married. It wasn't until I was a toddler that God drew them to Himself. Still, He preserved their time together until they were His!

But my mom got some really crazy comments yesterday from ladies at work. Things like, "Isn't it boring? Being married to the same person for so long, I mean?" Well, I think I know my dad well enough to say that marriage to him might be a lot of things to my mom, but BORING has never been one of them (love ya, Dad)!

And I have lots of memories of the "early years." I was an only for 6 years, so most of my early memories don't include my sister. I remember things like going over to my dad and whispering in his ear, "tall building." I do not know why that was so significant, but I loved to say it! Weird, huh? I remember watching a television movie with my mom where some gal was thrown into a pit of alligators (or crocodiles), and for days I would just casually turn to my mom and ask, "Do you think the alligators have eaten her yet?" Like when we would be in church. Or driving down the road. Or waiting in the doctor's examining room. And dad, remember when you cut your finger so badly with a steak knife? It was when we lived in an apartment and my favorite thing to eat was the fat from the steak. I KNOW, disgusting!

But I have tender memories, too. Like when my dad dropped me off at daycare for the first time and left me for a grand total of about 3 hours (if that) because he couldn't bear the memory of my tears and asking him not to go. You probably had to take time off without pay that day, didn't you? Or when my mom came to tell me my Grandpa (Dad's father) died and I was just so overwhelmed that I started crying in the hallway of my friend's home and she just sat on the floor with me and put her arms around me.

I basically have 34 years of those kinds of memories- and funny ones too. And ones I'd rather forget. Like locking the keys in the car. Or learning to drive a 5-speed (on a hill). And the fake ID. Okay, enough memories. So, if I have all these great ones and I'm just the child, I imagine they have even greater ones, and more of them. What an encouragement to me and Rob as we are in our mere 13th year! So much to look forward to...

Love you Mom and Dad.