Yesterday Ten Years Ago
Ten years ago this week, I was running on a treadmill when a news story came on the television in the corner of the gym. It was an interview with the manager of an area soup kitchen saying that they didn’t have enough food for Thanksgiving due to the fact that in the wake of 9/11, people were giving their money to other charities. She was worried they wouldn’t be able to put out a meal that week.
I ran upstairs and woke up Josh, who was still asleep because we took off a few days of work before our wedding. And I hysterically told him about the soup kitchen and how we had to help or there would be no Thanksgiving dinner. Josh did not point out how Thanksgiving turkey is pretty much meaningless to me since I’m a vegetarian. He did not remind me of my last big idea which had probably occurred the day before. He just nodded his head, picked up the phone, and called the soup kitchen.
The woman said she could use collard greens, and we lived next to a food store that had a shitload of collard greens. He told her that we were on the case and I went to the food store to pick up the greens. I cleared out what they had on display, shoving them into the provided plastic bags. Then I went to the clerk and told him how much I enjoyed collard greens; how I wanted to make as much collard greens as was humanly possible. I’m not sure why I couldn’t just tell him that we were donating them rather than making me look completely insane. So he got all the crates of collard greens from the back storage of the store, and helped us bring the whole mess to Josh’s car in the parking lot.
So Josh filled his trunk (mind you, right before our wedding when I had also given him a bunch of other tasks to do) with bags and bags of collard greens. His whole car ended up smelling like the greens — which you may believe have no smell, but you would be wrong. When you amass that many collard greens, they sort of smell similar to earthy ketchup.
Josh drove those collard greens an hour downtown because I was too shy to go.
He didn’t laugh at me or roll his eyes or try to reason with me that a check would be easier than a collard green delivery. He didn’t say, “this was your crazy idea; you go deliver a trunk-full of collard greens.” No, he just gave me a kiss and said he’d see me in a bit, and he went downtown with his vegetable-laden trunk.
And that’s why I love him.
And because he can still laugh about it 10 years later.
Happy anniversary, Josh.
Photo Credit: Arvindgrover.
49 comments
Happy Anniversary, both of you!
… a perfect match! Great story, Mel!
What a fantastic story! Happy Anniversary!
awww what a sweetie he is. Happy Anniversary!
That’s just awesome.
Aww, love that story! Happy Anniversary!
Awww! Lovely! Happy anniversary to you both.
Happy Anniversary!
Happy Anniversary!
That is the sweetest story ever. My husband would have said I was crazy and helped me while shaking his head and muttering about me being silly.
And that is why I love you. 🙂 Happy anniversary!
What a great story. Happy Anniversary.
awwww, such a wonderful story. Happy Anniversary Mel & Josh
What a great story. Happy Anniversary!
Oh, I love this story so much. Happy anniversary to both of you!
Happy Anniversary!!!
That’s a great anecdote about you two as a couple. 🙂
Happy anniversary! : )
Happy anniversary! May you have many many more!
I would so totally join (or even start) an I Love Josh fan club. He is a wonderful wonderful man.
And you deserve each other. Happy anniversary!
Happy Anniversary!! And that story made me tear up. You are such an amazing person
Happy anniversary!! And may there be many more to come
That is the sweetest story. Happy anniversary!
Happy anniversary!
Happy Anniversary! That is a great story 🙂
Awesome story. Happy anniversary. Hey, the first ten years are the longest. 😉 Mwah.
How sweet!
Love this story! Happy Anniversary! xoxo
Thanks everyone for the anniversary wishes. As usual, Melissa makes me look much better in her posts than I am in-real-life — and that is just one of the many reasons why I love her.
What a great story. Happy anniversary.
Happy Anniversary, Melissa and Josh! <3 Wishing you many, many more happy years of blessings.
Oh, Happy Anniversary! You’ve got a good’un (of course he does, too).
What a wonderful memory, you two are lucky to have one another. Happy anniversary.
You just made me cry!
Sweet. Many more years of greens to you both.
What a wonderful story!! Happy anniversary!
Happy anniversary to both of you!
Josh is awesome. So are you. Happy anniversary!
What a fantastic man, to let you have all your bright ideas and do what he can to help. Happy anniversary!!
That’s so sweet… Mine would have muttered to go stuff those vegetables somewhere the sun don’t shine… While dropping them off, I’m sure, but still… 😉
Happy anniversary!!!
This is what love smells like: earthy ketchup.
Mmm.
Happy Anniversary
Happy anniversary!
And this is a truly lovely story of you. Adorably crazy! 🙂
Happy Anniversary. I really love this story. It captures the essence of Melissa and Josh.
Such a great story! Happy Anniversary!
Happy Anniversary, you crazy kids.
Happy Anniversary.
happy anniversary to both of you 🙂
what a cute and wonderful story! as well as heartening and inspiring..
Awwwwwww! Happy belated anniversary!
I am just catching up here. Happy Anniversary guys! xx