We give what we have to give

Today marks the ninth anniversary of the marriage of Julia Rogers Hamrick (née Julia Warren Rogers) to Joseph Eugene Hamrick, Jr.

In honor of the lovely couple, I would like to offer this tribute to them both, and to the love they share.

The two met in 1997, a result of both finding fascination in a book written by Kenny Loggins and his then-wife, Julia. At the time they met, it was only as words on a flickering screen, at first. Over time, the means of communication blossomed to include hours-long phone conversations in addition to dozens of email messages a day.

Finally, that December, they met in person when Julia flew to Denver. After two more visits back and forth, they decided it was time to move Julia to Denver for good.

And, 'for good' it has been. The two of them were wed on this very day in 1999. Julia became the bonus mom to the four daughters who came from the man's first marriage.
[editor's note: credit for the term, 'bonus mom' goes to Jada Pinkett Smith, who decided it was a far better expression than is 'step mom.' She may not have originated it, but she helped popularize it]

The man, meanwhile, was the supporter of the arts, allowing Julia to spend time working on her book, a work which distilled many years of her own spiritual teaching and inspiration she had received over that time. At first, Julia also was doing free-lance writing, but eventually they were financially able to support her writing and teaching full time.

In 2004, the book Recreating Eden was published. Since, Julia has expanded her mission and extended her teaching platform to include Easy World, a delightfully creative place where everything is easy, everyone is welcome, and you, alone, control your entry and exit visas. She sends regular mailings to thousands of people around the world and teaches free teleseminars ten or more times a year, in addition to offering fee-based classes and private sessions. She is doing exactly what she was given this tour of Earth to do.

Through the years, the couple has experienced sadness, particularly with the passing of Julia's mother, a marvelously giving woman whose strength and passion are reflected in her daughters. There have been times of great joy, too. They have seen the children grow to become young adults and shared in their magical days of graduations and stunning theater and solo performances (that would be Aubrie, the eldest and proud graduate of the University of Denver), graceful and gritty athletic feats (Allison, a rising junior at the University of Colorado), blossoming beauty and strong defender of student rights (Wendy-Anne, soon-to-be freshman at Colorado State University), and living life fully (Claire, a junior soon at Cherry Creek High School).

Today, they will pause to enjoy looking back at all they have experienced together, and to look forward, hand in hand, to all the adventures that are hidden in the days ahead. Today, they will view the outcome of giving to each other all they had to give, all of themselves, all the time. There can be no greater gift than to find the person to whom you can offer all of you, and know your total commitment is returned just as completely. In the terms of a poker tournament, they have both played every hand “all in” from the start.

It is, in their hearts, a marriage made in heaven. These two are proof that delightful marriages can come about when two imperfect people find that they are able to support each other fully when one falls short. That's really the secret of these two: they have committed to an unfaltering love, one which comes from the Universe and returns there, and which flows through each of them as if they were designed to be conduits of the golden light which love gives off. In fact, they are...as are we all.

Today’s lesson? Give what you have, and give all of it. There is no joy in withholding, only in giving. Don’t fret that it may not be right or enough. If it is all you have to give, you are acting in concert with the Universe if you give it all.

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For anyone who may not have realized it yet, I'm the guy part of this couple. While I am 'Rick' to all who know me, my name on all the fancy papers I have signed in my life is the one at the top of this post. The third-person aspect was just for fun.

Here is a photo taken Saturday night (5/31/08) as we celebrated at the Flagstaff House, a landmark restaurant outside of Boulder renowned not only for the terrific cuisine, service, and over-the-top winelist (it's a book, not a list), but for a setting you cannot believe. It sits atop a hill well above Boulder itself, and we were situated to see all of Boulder spread before us, as well as foothills to the north and west. As Julia commented, it was worth the cost of dinner to merely take in the view for a couple of hours, even if no food was provided. I agreed, but in theory only.
Here is the view of Boulder from our table.
(that's not a little Japanese house on the right--it's one of the lamps which line the railing. We were actually eating outside, not two feet from the trunks of three magnificent decades-old pine trees, some with vines climbing a dozen feet up them, and lots of little wildflowers blooming right at our feet)