April 4--Roots of Love

With love, you have to work out whether your roots have so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness.  --Louis De Bernieres

    Some random thoughts are floating through my brain. 

    My parents roots were quite entwined, but alas, they were choking each other. My dad lived 21 years after my mom passed, and I think that most of those years were much happier than when he was married. When I asked him once if he would remarry, he said, "Once is enough for anybody." 

    I've lived long enough to see friends and acquaintances lose a spouse to death. Some recover and move on better than others. Certainly some stabilizing roots are yanked out from under the survivor, and it takes time to grieve and re-ground oneself. 

    My in-laws have been married for nearly 70 years. That is an amazing accomplishment on so many levels. They are still living independently. Their roots are definitely entwined, so much so that I doubt that they will ever be apart for long. 

    Over my years working at the tax office, I've seen several divorces occur each year. Since I often do returns for folks I never meet, it's a curiosity of "why?" It tends to be lots of money vs. too little. They tend to be older folks. Choking roots? I'll never know. 

    Enjoying comfortable roots, 

        Leta