Today would have been Yvonne’s and my Silver Anniversary!  I can’t really think what to wrtie, but I wanted to write something… 

I’ve been to a few weddings since Yvonne died – in fact, I’ve been in two of ‘em, and I cringe everytime I hear the minister say ’till death us do part’.  I mean… I just can’t believe I’m no longer married (in the eyes of the law).  See… (pun intended), in my eyes, I’m still married and today, I’m gonna celebrate our 25th anniversary and nobody can stop me!  Yvonne and I didn’t just love each other to death – we love each other infinitely!!!  That’s what we always said to each other.  We didn’t say ‘I just love you to death’ – we said ‘I love you infinitely’!  See the difference?  Today, please consider telling your spouse that you don’t just love ‘em to death – that you love em infinitely!

So many people are looking for more (than they’re gettin from their spouse).  I propose that ‘more’ is available from their spousal relationship if they would love ‘em more – I’m talkin about goin all the way!  When you’re only willing to love someone to a point – to death – that just aint gonna cut it, but when you love someone, and keep on lovin ‘em infinitely… now, that’s somthen you can hang your hat on!

One of the most quoted scriptures during weddings is of course the 13th chapter of 1st Corinthians.   It teaches that faith, hope, and love… these three, and the greatest of these is love.  Have you ever wondered why love is the greatest of these three?!?  It’s because after you die, you no longer need faith and hope, but love… ah, love… it just keeps goin infinitely

Today, in honor of my 25th, please read (preferrably with your spouse) the 13th chapter of 1st Corinthians, and pay special attention to what love is not.  Perhaps you may best understand what love is by understanding what it is not.

Love, Hatch

I just wanted to invite you to ask me whatever you’d like (as it relates to grief, of any kind)…

i was thinking about something the other day…  I have survived a year since my wife died.  But let’s take someone a quarter of my age – i figure they’ve survived longer – it’s all in how you do the math.  Let me explain…  You’re probably saying ‘no… you’ve both survived a year’, but in my thinking, they’ve survived longer (at least to them), because whereas I’ve survived 1/48th of my life, they’ve survived 1/12th of their life, which is quite longer – see???  Now… that’s how I see it…  So… to that twelve year old, I would encourage him/her to realize they have in deed survived – it’s time for them to try to thrive.  Now, they may have fully survived and are ready to thrive whereas I may not be finished (fully) surviving, but I, as the adult, know they need me to lead them in knowing how to move on towards thriving – problem is… I have to be careful not to get ahead of myself or I’ll fall forward – flat on my face!  Boy… it really is a balancing act, huh???

This weekend, I’m having an estate sale at my parents-in-law’s house in Little Rock.  (I don’t have to be there for the sale.)  It’s weird though – imagining strangers going through their things – I couldn’t watch that – no way.  It’s hard enough being home, just thinking about it.  ‘Course, the really hard part was going through the house, getting everything that I wanted, or needed, for myself.  I may have mentiioned this before, in an earlier ‘entry’, but the very hardest part was when I finished going through the house (where they lived for forty years – that’s a lot of stuff).  Yeah, that last ‘walk thru’ – turning off lights, closing curtains, locking the door, and driving off – knowing that would be the last time…

I feel sorry for people who aren’t the least bit sentimental.  On the other hand, being as sentimental as I am does tend to make it tougher – cleaning out, moving on…  I was talking to a friend the other day, and I was saying how… you take a chest of drawers for example, one that’s been in the family a long time… you don’t need it – you don’t have a place for it, etc., but you hate to sell it – you hate to part with it – you hate to say ‘good bye’ to it, a mere thing… but it’s more than that – much more – it’s a link to your loved one.  So… whatdya do???  Since a chest of drawers is for storing things, it doesn’t make much sense to store something that is for storing things now, does it?  I like to think of it as trading it – trading it for something special – perhaps something that you wouldn’t spring for yourself…  For example, instead of thinking of it as selling these things, I’m thinking of it as trading these things for something – something special, like perhaps a nice new camera, which could be used for documenting memories – how ’bout that?!?! 

How wonderful to be free to worship God in our own way, whenever we wish – now… that’s freedom!  And it is wonderful!  Too bad it’s not free, huh – never was, never will be.  We got it, and we gotta keep it!  We gotta pass that forward to the next generation/s!!!  Yeah, it’s definitley worth fighting for, and thank God for all those brave men & women who do just that – carry on, with Godspeed!  Bless you, and God Bless American, home of the free and the brave!!!

I am sooo sorry I haven’t written in so long – I was out of town, and then I had technical difficulties!

You know… I feel like it’s been too long since I’ve heard from my wife, or her parents (kind of like it’s been too long since I’ve written on this webiste – though it’s very different).  I’m like… Yvonne, come on!!!  It’s been long enough already – come on out!  Where are you?  Your parents too – where are y’all?  This isn’t funny anymore.  I mean… don’t you sometimes fell like… i just can’t believe they’re gone!!! 

So… how do you go forward when you wanna keep looking back over your shoulder, hoping they’ll be there…  What works for you – how do you do that?!?!  I know we shouldn’t keep looking back – we should look forward, but to what?!?!  We’ve gotta create a new life worth looking forward to – we have to!!!