My expectations of life are high because you brought me up to expect the best – of myself and of others, because you always gave your best to me… You could say, that was setting me up for disappointment, and that’s been the case at times… On the whole, though, it’s made me tenacious, conscientious, strong-minded and, I’m afraid, a judgemental perfectionist!!
So today, on my 3rd Wedding Anniversary – which is also your 83rd birthday – I think of you and your marriage to Mum. Not always perfect, not always perfectly happy (?), but you both cared passionately and loved passionately, and always made birthdays and anniversarys special. A carefully-planned meal, a beautifully-set table, treasured clothing chosen and gifts wrapped in such a way that you couldn’t guess what was inside… Poems written from the heart, gift tag clues written to keep the receiver guessing… Sometimes, the gifts were fairly ordinary, sometimes the meals were only slightly different from everyday fare… Always, though, the effort, the thought, the care that went into these occasions – table-settings, gift-warping, dressing-up – meant that the meal felt like a banquet, the gift was treasured and the outfits seemed fit for no less than royalty… So you put in your best effort, you expect the best in return, and you’re not disappointed when the reality doesn’t measure up, because it always does.