We Must be Drunk

by Richard Edfeldt

People tell me (through words and observation) that drinking alcoholic beverages can affect your decision-making and actions. I don’t know that personally because I’ve never been drunk … at least from drinking alcohol too much.

But for thirty-seven years now (and an extra two years if you count our courtship) Karen and I have been crazy drunk … in love.  On this day, back in 1976, Karen and I were married.  And what a love drunk binge we’ve been on!

You may be asking, “Why are you referencing your marriage to being drunk?”  Well, explain to me what would cause two sane, fairly smart, extremely good looking people (well, at least Karen is) to experience the following for 37 years:

•  Get married at such a young age (21 & 19)
• Not waiting until after college to marry
• Leaving Orlando a year later to attend seminary without any promise of jobs or home and little money in the bank
• Move to west Texas (a tiny adorable place called Kermit) to begin a career and a family (welcome to the world, Ben)
• Moving to Houston, TX (hello Katie!!),  then Spring Hill, FL …. then Orlando, FL … then Gainesville, GA … then Marietta, GA …. and sometime in the near future, Otto, NC
• Experience two difficult births (Ben & Katie)
• Experience a devastating pregnancy (Jacob’s)
• Making life altering decisions in welcoming Jacob to the world (not the way I wanted to visit Philadelphia)
• Karen starting her career path in teaching and having me making her start over again, and again, and again each time I had a ‘better job’ opportunity
• Experiencing too many gut-wrenching, heart-aching, mind-numbing surgeries on Jacob
• The joy of watching Ben, Katie, and Jacob grow, graduate, and give to society
• Watching Ben leave the home to begin his own … and welcoming another daughter, Beth
• The thrill of grandparenthood …. and the agony of having them live a thousand miles away
• The ultimate crush of losing Jacob and the enduring pain that remains

Many marriages wouldn’t have survived what we have experienced. I know – I’ve talked to friends and acquaintances who – should I say sobered up – and walked away from a spouse, a family, and a career.

But we have moved together, worked together, fought together, laughed together, made decisions together, and remained together because we have kept drinking from the love mug … and loving together.

I am very thankful for Karen staying drunk in love with me. She has put up with my sloppiness, my sports addiction, my forgetfulness (including not getting a card for today’s anniversary), my warped sense of humor, my stupidity of often putting others and other things before her, and the list could go on but I don’t want to thoroughly destroy your nice thoughts about me and some things are better left unsaid. 

Thank you, Karen, for saying yes on July 24, 1976, and for continuing to say it every day since. I love you! Cheers!!!