My Girl (Blue Ribbon)

I met my girl when she was just that, a girl. It was love at first sight at an age when every young boy thinks so. In my case it was true and I knew so.

My girl was my best friend at a time in life when your best friends were supposed to be boys. I had many great friends; she was the best though.

I had to leave my girl when I was at an age when it was okay to leave a girl and set out in life. She was to be just a phase and I was to move on in life, to find the right girl later, when I was at a more appropriate age to do so. This was the way you were supposed to live life. It was true. She was just a phase; the phase of my life that will be the one between the day I met her and the day I died. I knew the moment I had to leave her that we were meant to be together. It was both a moment of my deepest regret and yet of perfect clarity and certainty. I knew that we would be together forever.

My girl missed me and remained devoted to me at a time when others pressured her to move on. I was “gone and would not be back”, they would say. Many stood poised for the fade of this ephemeral pair.

The day I received news that I was to be a father is when I knew my wish was fulfilled and our life together was inevitable. We were married without fanfare or sanction. The standard support of newlyweds was absent at a time when this support is more necessary than ever. “You are ruining your lives.” was the buzz. Our quiet and private ceremony together in the azalea gardens was without consent by any other, only each other with the necessary witness by another human being and a piece of paper as a record. No need for holy blessing, as our unity was the most sanctified rite that could ever occur. We were wed in a manner that preceded any religion by millennia, with a cosmic welcoming of nature into her beautiful chaotic perfection.

My girl became the mother of my children at an age when it was too early to do so in today’s day and age. You were supposed to find yourself first and wait for the most appropriate financial time. What they didn’t understand was the fact that we had found ourselves in finding each other. While others were continuing their search, we were busy raising our children and living our lives that had already started.

My girl gave life to our children and cared for them without reading books by experts and expensive and trendy child raising gear. She just did it, as if she knew these things all her life. A more loving and nurturing mother will not be found.

We lived our lives and raised our children as our marriage thrived while other marriages sanctioned by God and Banks saw their omega or filed for bankruptcy. They failed because no myth can certify true love and no amount of money can buy contentment. Our union was perfect in its simplicity; as natural as circadian rhythms and the cycle of the lunar tides.

My girl is still my girl. Our children have grown now into the most wonderful human beings. They were nurtured throughout their lives and in the process gained confidence, wisdom, wit, and compassion. They will succeed in life because they were loved, nurtured, challenged, and trusted throughout their childhood. They will succeed as children of those who “found themselves” first are just being born. They always came first.

They will succeed because my girl gave them each a blue ribbon.

JArtB Saturday, April 11, 2009 AT 06:01