Without Measure

Today is my parents' 50th wedding anniversary, a golden day of worth and value without measure. In Spanish, the word for "fifty" is "cincuenta," which can be a pun for "sin cuenta," without measure. Infinite. Uncountable. 

Two years ago I had the honor of sorting through decades' worth of letters that my grandmother Beth Phelps had saved, letters from my dad in college and later from Viet Nam, then piles of letters from Peru. Beginning in 1971, there were letters from my mother as well, and eventually letters from me and Anita. 

This treasure of family history took my breath away.

There was one word that emerged as a theme from these carefully folded missives: 

Thankfulness.

Over and over again, these words emerged: Thank you. 

And these are the words that I have for today: Thank you. 

Thank you for giving me and Anita an upbringing of immeasurable worth, experiences across continents and countries, a life among the Quechuas - these beautiful and marginalized and beloved people - our own heritage. 

Thank you for your steadfastness, with each other, in your faith, towards us.

Thank you for your generosity and selflessness towards others.

I love you, sin cuenta.