A Letter From The Editor find myself writing my Editor ’ s
I Letter for our 11 th Annual Romance Issue . It took a year before we decided to officially make the theme of the February issue Romance . It wasn ’ t my idea in the beginning , because I hardly consider myself an authority on the subject . Or am I ? Maybe . At least I ’ ve managed to keep the same guy in my life for more than a couple of decades ; we still like each other and we work together . Despite my quirkiness he sticks around . In this era of disposable spouses and throw-away-relationships that ’ s quite an accomplishment , right ? We ’ re both big fans of classic movies . You know , the ones with compelling and / or witty dialogue without the F-bomb and people all keep their clothes on . I always wanted to have a marriage like Nick and Nora from the Thin Man movies — only one where my husband was sober , but still really funny . Instead of detectives we ’ d be print journalists , only sober . People that come to mind at the mention of the word “ Romance ” are people who actually tend to bomb at the real thing . People like Brad Pitt ; apparently Pitt is the “ Pitts ” at romance , since he ( sadly ) doesn ’ t seem to be able to stay married . Cary Grant was historically a romantic leading man , but even he was married five times . So was Clark Gable . ( You can ’ t blame him for not staying married to Carole Lombard , but still .) I once thought that a romance would play out like the love scene from Casablanca when Bogart and Bergman are finally alone together upstairs from Rick ’ s Place and the piano is playing , “ As Time Goes By ,” or Deborah Kerr and Burt Lancaster in From Here To Eternity — on the beach with waves crashing around
them . OK . Real life isn ’ t like that very often , as just about anyone over 18 knows . But , why don ’ t we all have more Casablanca moments in our lives ? I guess John Lennon said it best : “ Life is what happens when you ’ re making other plans .” But , if despite life , business , health issues , giving birth to and rearing children , and dealing with financial challenges you still manage to have few dozen memorable Casablanca moments , I think you should congratulate yourself on mastering the art of romance . It seems that in our society too much focus is put on brand new love . You know , the boy-meets-girl stuff . The newness , the kind that sends the butterflies into your stomach , and the thrill of the chase seems to make for great literature . But isn ’ t the real beauty actually within the relationships that last for decades and endures long after death takes one of them from this world ? It ’ s great when you ’ re 20 and one glance from your sweetheart sends those butterflies reeling . It ’ s even better when a glance from your longtime love , the one you ’ ve had three kids with , looks at you and sends your heart reeling . That ’ s what most of us long for , but sadly , few are able to find . My parents were married for 53 years and they adored each other . They knew each other only a few weeks when they were married . Theirs wasn ’ t exactly an elopement — they told my mother ’ s parents they were going to get married and my grandmother took the bride-tobe aside and offered to buy a brand new car for her and send her on a grand trip if she didn ’ t marry that wild , uncivilized Texas rustic . ( That ’ s how she referred to my father , even years after the wedding .) My mother respectfully declined her offer . The parents of the bride declined to attend the wedding , held before a judge at a courthouse in Rolla , MO .
My mother told me once , “ That ’ s the first time I ever went against my mother ’ s wishes . It was the best decision I ever made .” Over the years , I ’ ve heard a lot of great love stories , but few that were as sweet as theirs . Of course , I had a ring-side-seat to watch their story unfold . It was always apparent that they adored each other . I wanted a marriage just like theirs . My mother was the kindest person I ’ ve ever known . She was a good , Christian woman , gentle and gracious . Naturally , I looked for a guy just like my dad . He was funny , talented , hard-working , brave to the point of being a little crazy at times and stubborn . ( Bull-headed , was the way my mother described him , but the way she said it it was clear that it was one of the things she loved most about him .) There weren ’ t many guys like that , not that I found , anyway . When I met someone even a little like him , it never went well . We seemed to annoy each other . I told my mother about the whole situation . She said , “ You ’ re looking for a guy like your dad ? That won ’ t work . You ’ ll kill each other .” Clearly , this amused her . I asked , “ What do you mean ?” “ Well , Sweetie , you ’ re just like your father ,” she said . “ Two of those in one house wouldn ’ t be good . Find someone a little more mellow .” She giggled . As it turned out , I found someone with my dad ’ s talent and my mother ’ s kind heart . Fortunately , he also has a wicked sense of humor ( I love to laugh ). He also seems to still get a kick out of me . In this issue you ’ ll read about some of the great couples of our great county and their epic love stories .
Enjoy !
Marsha Brown , Editor-in-Chief and Publisher , Parker County Today Magazine