On Sept. 1, Pauline and I celebrated our 47th wedding anniversary.

With our present schedule, we decided to celebrate by going out for a nice lunch. We will be going on a Caribbean cruise in October.

We were high school sweethearts.

I remember well where we were when I asked her if she would accept an engagement ring for Christmas 1961. She already had my class ring.

I also have no problem remembering her answer.

NO!

A couple days later, she asked if she could change her mind. Of course, I said yes. I gave her the ring on Dec. 24, 1961, and we were married Sept. 1, 1962.

I’m not going to say it has been easy.

It hasn’t.

But one thing is sure. I would do it again.

We’ve been very fortunate to be together all these years, and we are looking forward to the years we still have to share.

From our marriage came five children and, to date, ten grandchildren. For some reason our children have decided they were too easy on us when they were younger. So now they are giving us a fresh share of heartaches and headaches.

A Grandfather’s Duty

Two weeks ago, I took our granddaughter, Heather, to Eastern Michigan University for her nursing orientation program.

From a previous article, you might remember she’s entering her second year at EMU, to become a nurse practitioner.

After orientation was over, I took her home to Niles, in Michigan, so she could spend a few days with her family prior to classes starting after Labor Day.

I did make one five-minute stop on the way to Niles, at a casino on I-94, so I could get a slot card for my collection. I spent the night at our daughter’s and started out early today because I wanted to be back in Dayton by noon, for a meeting I didn’t want to miss.

This weekend will be a busy one for Pauline and me.

Tomorrow evening we will be attending an informal get-together for my 50th high school class reunion.

Saturday evening will be the actual reunion, at the home of one of our classmates, with a buffet. Since Pauline graduated from the same small high school just one year later, she knows all my classmates. One is married to one of her classmates.

We had a small class, 31 graduates, five of whom are deceased. Eight others have sent regrets.

Some class members haven’t been located, and others didn’t take the time to reply.

Since the group will be small, we should have a great time reminiscing about the last 50 years.

What Did They Look Like?

Thirty years have passed since our last reunion. In between, I haven’t seen many of my classmates. One classmate lives just a couple blocks from us.

I see some who still live in our hometown, once-in-a-while. Since my sister still lives in Piqua, she does a good job of keeping me informed as to what is going on with those classmates who live there.

On a recent Sunday, we headed back to Niles so we could take Heather back to Eastern Michigan. Our daughter and son-in-law do not have reliable transportation so we agreed to get her back to college.

The next morning, we were on our way to EMU. She wanted to be the first person in the dorm room. First arrival is the one who gets the best area.

Two weeks ago today was Labor Day — considered by many as the end of summer — the kids returned to school.

Labor Day was a perfect time for those of us who fortunate enough to have a job, to give thanks and say a prayer for those unemployed or underemployed.

Also, a prayer for our country wouldn’t hurt. She could use all the help she can get.

The day after Labor Day, I went back to work, which meant I could relax, as if that’s possible!

Mr. Hennessey may be contacted at pmhenn@sbcglobal.net