Sunder – Smriti "Simmi" D. Isaac

As we prepare to enter our 28th year of marriage, I thank you, Sweet Husband, for being by my side and walking with me;

For your love and affection over the years;

For building a nest together, watching our little ones grow up to become strong, and then letting them fly away;

For never abandoning the nest, rather, for fortifying it over the years;

For being the most loving father to human and canine kids alike;

For braving the elements of a Michigan winter for 22 years, and having a blast while shoveling the snow;

For cutting the grass once a week all summer long;

For looking out for the birds, the bees, and the bunnies in the backyard every summer;

For never failing to get the backyard treated for mosquitoes and bugs every summer;

For being a good son who calls and FaceTimes his mother at least five times a week;

For calling my folks as well every so often, and chatting them up;

For loading the dishwasher in the most efficient way possible – and doing just as many by hand as well;

For never failing to work all the remote controls in the house;

For smiling broadly while asking me to sort out your sock drawer every so often;

For helping me measure twice and cut once on all my quilting projects;

For cranking up the music while you help me set up my pill organizers every month;

For discovering the most unique gifts online for your children and sons-in-law;

For continuing to be a handyman-around-the-house extraordinaire;

For continuing to be my life and career coach;

For being the eternal optimist despite the gloomiest of political environments;

For taking oil changes and air tire pressures seriously, and ensuring all cars in the house are running smoothly;

For never hesitating to lend your voice to a cause in support of social, racial, and economic justice;

For admitting you are a hypochondriac, but making no apologies for it;

For keeping the house a cool 67° all twelve months around the year;

For always complimenting me on my homemade lattes and cappuccinos;

For becoming almost annoying with your hyper-vigilance on handwashing procedures during a global pandemic;

For being the friendliest neighbor in this neighborhood for the last 20 years here;

For your big heart, quick smile, and a kind word spared to none;

For all these reasons and many more unspoken ones, I raise a glass to you, Sweet Husband!

Here’s a 21-gun salute to you – and 28 stated reasons – (as inadequate as they may seem), on this, our Twenty-Seventh Anniversary! Here’s to many more!

If you’re so inclined to walk down memory lane with me, here’s something I’d penned for you, six years ago: Ode to My Husband on the Second Day of July

And here’s a sequel to that, the following year: Addendum to an Ode: A Reflection on the Eve of the Second Day of July

Thank you also for this masterpiece that you wrote for me, five years ago: How to Say I Love You Without Ever Saying It: Lessons From My Husband

Note on picture below: Dug up from the annals of history in commemoration of the second day of July. Circa early 1993 in New Delhi, India, a self-portrait. Later that summer, we were sharing the same last name.