Our Anniversary.

Christa and I were married sixteen years ago today at St. Micheal's Lutheran Church in Reno. The Church was beautifully decorated with poinsettias and evergreens for the Christmas season. Our favorite time of the year was from Halloween through New Years with its deep reds, golds, and greens.

I still remember seeing her for the first time in her wedding dress. She was stunning. I had such a feeling of pride that a women this lovely had chosen me. We had found each other and were stronger together than we could ever be apart.

It was a simple service, attended by those people most important in our lives. To top it all off, when the service was over we walked out of the church and there was a light dusting of snow on the ground. Perfect.

Christa, I love you and miss you.
Happy Anniversary.

Peace and Good Cheers,
Marty

Nice Words About Christa.

I got this email from one of Christa's friends that she worked with at the University. I think everyone who knew Christa will find this story interesting.

I enjoyed working with Christa immensely at the Extension office. I
can only imagine the countless deep conversations you two must have
had based on the few that we had. There is one conversation in
particular that for whatever reason has always been a source of
comfort for me. After a friend of mine had passed away in a car
accident I was lamenting with Christa about my frustrations with bad
things happening to such good people. We touched on the subject of
religion. I explained that while I believed in a higher being, I was
not well versed in the area since I did not grow up going to
church. My mother could never find a church in our very small
community that met her expectations so we missed out on that
opportunity. Unfortunately, this makes it harder rather than easier
to find comfort with the powers that be when trying things happen.
Essentially, my faith is tried. I asked the age old question to her,
"If there is a God, why does he allow such bad things to happen to
such good people?" She told me of a religious studies course she'd
taken and they had similar discussions and one explanation that had
come up was that, "An all-loving God, does not interfere." For
whatever reason, it was the best explanation I'd ever heard even in
it's simplicity and vagueness.

During my senior year in college my 17 year old brother, Chris, was
killed in a car accident a few days after Christmas in 2003. At a
time when the popular explanation, "everything happens for a reason,"
just wouldn't suffice, Christa's offerings during that one
conversation stood as a great source of comfort. When I returned to
work I remember Christa asking me how I was because she said she knew
how I looked at things in times of tragedy such as this. I was able
to to discuss my grief comfortably with her a couple of times when I
couldn't with others.

I just wanted to share with you how Christa touched my life in a way
that will stay with me always. My own mother even enjoyed hearing
about that exchange that enlightened me in her own grief.

As I have always said Christa may not have been a religious person but she was definitely a spiritual person.

Peace and Good Cheers,
Marty