Anniversary

The Chinese New Year, this year, fell on January 25 and, with it, came our wedding anniversary. This year, it was 18 years together and 16 years married for Ash and I -- incredible! Although this is a good amount of time, it actually feels much longer considering all the experiences that we have had together. January 25, however, was more than a month ago so why am I writing about it now? Well, clearly we are flexible with the date that we celebrate our anniversary on so, due to busy times at work and at home, moving the date back was no problem. Yesterday, Ash and I took a day off of work together to celebrate our wonderful life together. The plan was to go for a bike ride in Jurmala before heading into Riga. We didn't get out of Jurmala. It was such a beautiful day that we didn't want to get off of our bikes and Jurmala has so many beautiful places to visit that there was no reason to leave at all. We visited the Bulduri Artists' House, the Rainis and Aspazija Summer Cottage Museum (the home of Latvia's most famous writer/poet/playwright couple), and finished with the Aspazija house museum where Aspazija lived after Rainis passed away. All beautiful and inspiring just like our love story. Let's finish with one of Aspazija's love poems:

Moon hands string the lyre
of a glacous sea;
thin mysterious voices
carol lovingly:

come unhesitating
where the seal leaves float;
take the thwart and tiller
of our signet boat

sails we have all golden,
oars of ivory white;
stars chart our courses
with their compass light

come with us to beaches
paved with colored sand
where the light's frail children
meet with loving hands;

where the beams are braided
into tasselled flame;
where delight links spirits
stripped of flesh and name;

where the Earth's mast longings
drift like morning veils,
and immortal splendor
lifts victorious sails.