This was Jennifer at age 19, in 1969. We met at school in Warrensburg, Missouri. It's funny, fifty
years later, this is how she still looks to me.
We married in September, and somehow, she came up with only one rule for our marriage; no matter how angry or mad we might get with each other, we must always sleep in the same bed together, no sleeping on the couch or in the guest bedroom. I don't know how she came up with it, but for a very simple rule it was very effective. She said we had to learn how to fight. Never personal, never hurtful, always on the issue and the issue only. Finally, she taught me to never be a scorekeeper. Never count the times I went out or how often she might do something. Instead, be happy and glad that the other has the opportunity. We've kept the belief in these simple things, and a great life together has resulted. It amazes me to this day that a 19 year old girl would have the wisdom, vision, and confidence to embark upon such a journey, passionately and unafraid.
When getting ready for our wedding, she promised me she would walk with me anywhere, a promise she has kept, from muck-bottomed moose trails in Newfoundland to strolling down the Champs-Elysées in Paris, always enthusiastic, always encouraging, always ready for adventure.