A
Diamond Anniversary Party
by
Mary M. Alward
I’ll
never forget my grandparents’ 60th wedding anniversary.
The planning was done by the happy couple's daughters and started
far in advance of the big day. Celebrations are part of my family’s
traditions, so the women had lots of experience in putting on
anniversary parties.
First, they
booked a small hall at the community center not far from my grandparents’
farm to ensure it was reserved for the celebration. Then, they
made a list of all family members and called them in order to
designate the food that would be brought. The hall was equipped
with pots, pans, dishes, cutlery, two stoves, and two refrigerators
to make food storage safe and simple.
Next, flowers
were ordered from a local wholesaler. My aunt, the youngest child
of my grandparents, was a florist. She created an exquisite centerpiece
for the Head Table, smaller centerpieces for the guests’
tables, a beautiful rose corsage for Grandma, and a boutonnière
for Grandpa. The flowers were magnificent!
My mother,
the oldest of her family, volunteered to cook a large roast of
beef and a large ham. Aunt May, the middle daughter, planned to
cook two turkeys at the hall on the day of the anniversary party.
She would go there early in the morning and put the turkeys into
the oven. Vegetables, pickle trays, salad, and desserts were being
brought by other family members, including grandchildren.
The night
before the celebration we all gathered at the hall to put up the
decorations. Before leaving, we set up the tables and chairs -
covering the tables with white linen tablecloths. The color scheme
was blue and white, since both of my grandparents favored blue.
At the end of the evening as we were locking the door, we looked
back and were amazed at what we saw. The hall had been transformed
into a magical place. The blue and white color scheme showed off
the natural woods of the walls and floors. A huge white banner
with silver-blue lettering read, “Happy 60th Anniversary,
Bert and Candace.”
Early the
next morning, Aunt May went to the hall and put the turkeys in
the ovens. Mid-morning we all gathered once more to prepare the
rest of the food. By noon, everything was ready to go as far as
the food was concerned.
The anniversary
celebration was hosted in two parts. From 1 pm to 4 pm, an Open
House was held for my grandparents to welcome friends who had
come to wish them well - a photo and announcement was placed in
the local paper. The second part was a huge family dinner with
relatives from all over the country present.
Grandma and
Grandpa arrived at approximately 12:30 pm, as had been previously
planned. They knew about the Open House but had no idea there
was a family dinner planned. They were both dressed to the T's
and my uncle told them they were the “Cat’s Meow.”
Laughter echoed throughout the hall. The phrase was long out of
date and was something that would have been said when Grandma
and Grandpa were young.
Guests begin
to arrive just before 1 pm and soon the hall was packed. We hadn’t
expected such a large turnout, although we had made lots of food,
so there was no worry about running out. Friends that my grandparents
hadn’t seen in years arrived and there were many hugs and
tears of happiness.
People continued
to arrive in droves and though the Open House was to officially
end at 4 pm, it was well after 5 pm before Grandma and Grandpa
had finished receiving and chatting with friends and neighbors.
Before they
could entirely catch their breaths, family members from near and
far began to arrive. Then, in through the door walked my uncle
who lived in Calgary, Alberta. Grandma and Grandpa rushed to greet
him and both swiped away tears as hugs were given all around.
It was the first time Grandma, Grandpa and their other children
had seen my uncle in four, long years.
At last we
sat down to dinner. Before we ate, Grandpa said the Blessing,
thanking God for giving him such a wonderful wife, life, children
and grandchildren. There wasn’t a dry eye in the place as
Grandpa recounted special events and memories. Finally, as she
often had to do, Grandma hushed him, telling him the food was
getting cold. That was Grandpa. Once he had the floor, he hated
to give it up.
As we ate,
the hall buzzed with the hum of conversation. Memories of the
“good old days,” and “remember when,”
were shared and the spirit of love in the room was overpowering.
After dinner,
each child and grandchild took the floor to tell of precious memories
and comical tidbits about life with Grandma and Grandpa. Then,
it was Grandma’s turn. She told us how special the births
of her six children and twenty grandchildren had been and what
each had meant to her. She recounted memories of her years with
Grandpa and how climbing mountains and descending valleys had
brought them closer together.
When Grandma
finished her speech, each of us had a lump in our throats and
a tear in our eyes. Then, gifts were opened, a money tree was
presented, and we all enjoyed cake and ice cream together. The
neighbors in the community had taken up a collection and bought
Grandma and Grandpa matching rockers. We all stood around admiring
the gifts they had received.
We spent
time visiting, chatting and reminiscing - and then it was time
to pack up the gifts, wash the dishes, and clean the hall. When
we left, there wasn’t a crumb in the place. Everything was
back to normal.
My grandparents’
memory of that day was special to them for the rest of their years
together. The fact that they were able to see my uncle from Calgary
was especially significant since he died in a car accident a few
months later.
Three years
after my grandparents’ diamond anniversary, Grandma went
home to be with her Lord. Although Grandpa lived for many years,
he never forgot his first love or the 63 years that they spent
together. Often, when he spoke of Grandma, a tear would form and
he would speak of their 60th anniversary and how much it had meant
to both of them.
Today, when
I step into that little community hall, I can still see my grandparents
standing in the receiving line welcoming friends and loved ones.
I like to think of them strolling the meadows of heaven, just
as they strolled the meadows of Earth when they were young.
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