Jeannine and Norman
August 12, 1940
My parents were married on this day 70 years ago. It amazing to me how young they look in this picture. Mom was 19 and had finished her junior year at Stanford and Dad was 23 and one year out of West Point. They moved to Fort Sam Houston, Texas and made their first of many, many homes. They were the best parents I could ever imagine. They taught me about love, and faith, and family, and loyalty, and integrity. If I ended up with any good qualities, they are largely responsible. Mom died 17 years ago and my Dad is in a nearby nursing home with severe dementia. I love them both and miss them terribly, every day.
My parents were my first cheerleaders. Neither of them (nor any of my 3 siblings) ever had any weight issues. Yet they were always supportive, helpful and understanding. As I once again work on conquering this life challenge of discovering and embracing a healthy lifestyle, I know that part of me is wanting to finally succeed and to justify their lifelong confidence in my ability to achieve that success.
Thanks to you Mom and Dad, I know I can do this.
