It was sixteen years ago yesterday that Kathy Berg was asked by my dad, in front of about 375 people in the pews of Holy Communion, whether or not she would take me, Greg Berg, to be her lawfully wedded husband. And for some reason which still astounds me, she said “Yes.” And 16 years later, through thick and think, she continues to say “Yes.” And for that I am more grateful than I can say.
There’s so much that I could say about Kathy and the reasons why I love being married to her- but it’s 11:51 pm and I’m organist tomorrow morning at both services, so I am going to limit myself to this one point: I am so thankful to be married to someone who gives my life centeredness / groundedness / solidity . . . AND who also gives it zing / energy / spice. I really need the former or I would go bonkers, especially with the wild juggling act of three jobs which is my life. Kathy is so often the glue that holds me together – and holds our household together as well. But I’m glad that my wife is so much more than Glue! She makes my life so much more lively and interesting than it would otherwise be. She is both Glue and Glitter . . . Scrambled Eggs and Pheasant Under Glass. . . Masterpiece Theater and Desperate Housewives. . . Iowa and California. . . Bart Starr and Joe Namath. . . Poet and Plumber. . .
Maybe it would be better if I quote the famous Robert Schumann song “Widmung” which he wrote in honor of his wife, Clara. The text begins “Du mein Seele, du mein Herz. Du meine Wonn. O du mein Schmerz. . . . “ which means “You are my soul, you are my heart. You are my Joy and you are my Sadness.” The text goes on to say “You are the world in which I live. You are the heaven into which I ascend. You are the grave into which I can pour all of my sorrows.” A good spouse is many things to their partner- probably more than can be named- and part of what makes married life so interesting is figuring that out . . . in both realizing all that your partner is to you and also in coming to appreciate what you can be to them in return.
Anyway, we had a lot of celebrate, and did so in part at The Corner House in Racine, where our delicious meal (prime rib for me, perch for her) came to a grand total of $49.32. On our way home, we stopped for gas – and the pump stopped exactly at $49.32. . . Maybe the universe was trying to tell me “Congratulations, you have won a jackpot – and don’t you ever forget it!”
I never will forget that. I know I am an absurdly blessed person, and when I count those blessings – those “tender mercies” as they are called in the beautiful Robert Duvall film of the same name – my wonderful wife tops the list.
pictured: Kathy at a recent Carthage football game, flanked in the stands by our friends Kent and Linda Parker.