10 Year Anniversary on 10-10

10 on 10-10. On Oct. 10, Ginnie and I have been married 10 years. 10 years ago I set up a backstop of red barn board in the backyard of the home we had newly moved into, the small group of people we invited to the wedding sang “Going to the Chapel” by the Dixie cups and, as the words say, “We'll never be lonely anymore.”

We met by email. Ginnie sent me an email in response to one of my Empty Nest columns where I quoted from my book of daily meditations that, “Happiness is a byproduct of love and service.” Quick like Curtis thinks, I invited her to lunch at the Riverside Restaurant in Ottumwa. I could sense one lonely heart reaching out to another. So I lied and said I had an insurance appointment in a nearby town and could work in a lunch.

I put on my best nice-guy act and it must've worked because a few months later, on Ginnie's birthday, Aug. 28, I took her out to lunch again at the Riverside Restaurant. Little did Ginnie know that I had bribed the waitresses into singing “Going to the Chapel” at our table. As the three shy waitresses eked out the words, and the nearby customers applauded, I got down on my knees and proposed. Fortunately, Ginnie said yes. We were married on Oct. 10, 2015.

To celebrate our 10 year anniversary we decided to do something risky, for us anyway. We took Amtrak's California Zephyr from Mt. Pleasant to Chicago. It would be the first time for both of us to ride Amtrak. It left at 10:10 a.m., so it was 10 on 10-10 at 10:10 a.m.! This had to be good luck.

Aluminum is the metal for 10 years of marriage. I asked at the jewelry shop if they had an aluminum signet ring that would fit Ginnie's pinkie finger. I was just about laughed out of the store. Instead they showed me a locket ring that can hold 4 pictures. Ginnie cried when I

showed it to her on the Zephyr.

We spent the weekend with Ginnie's son and daughter-in-law in Woodridge, a suburb of Chicago, and took in the theater production of “Come From Away” in Aurora. If you haven't seen “Come From Away” put it on your bucket list. Nominated for seven Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Original Score, in a nutshell it's about the events of 9/11/2001. 38 airplanes, 6,579 stranded passengers from 100 countries, speaking different languages, wound up in Gander, Newfoundland, doubling the town's size. In a very creative way, some of the actors play different people. Full of songs that celebrate kinship and grit, the message is clear: now more than ever, kindness across boarders is far more important and effective than fighting or bombs. Cultures clashed in Gander, but uneasiness turned into trust, music soared and gratitude grew into lifelong friendships. Cool.

In our return home on Amtrak (it was only a little late both ways), we had a chance to reflect on our 10 years of marriage. There's been rough spots sure, but both of us feel we want to spend the rest of our lives together, and are glad we gave marriage another shot. In a lot of ways we are both “Come From Away” people.

As we crossed the Mississippi River into Iowa, I thought, “I'm still playing the nice-guy role. It's not so hard.”

Have a good story? Call or text Curt Swarm in Mt. Pleasant at 319-217-0526 or email him at curtswarm@yahoo.com. Curt is available for public speaking.