Dear Kelly, Kim and Mike - Forty years ago - December 5, 1968 - your mother and I met for the very first time! She was 29; I was 38. Seems like quite an age-spread, we know. But with your mother’s charm and serene, ‘other-worldly’ grace (and I might add, her physical beauty!) and my own immature, boy-priest mentality, we were actually close in age. Since we both were only a few months removed from our past, previously cloistered lives (yes, with Vatican permission), we had few social contacts and even fewer social graces. Tom and Grace decided it would be ‘cute’ to invite us to dinner in their Bayside, Queens apartment. I arrived first. I must confess: as an ex-monk bachelor, I anticipated forking down a free home-cooked meal more than meeting Tom’s sister, Pat Stephens (there were lots of ex-nuns floating around back in the 60’s).
Anyway, Tom walked in the door with this gorgeous young woman! “Who is this ‘dream-thing’", I smiled to myself, "decked out in her gold dress and Jane Fonda boots? Guess Tom’s sister couldn’t make it tonight.” I’ll never forget Tom’s immortal words at that moment: “Chris, this is my sister, Pat!” Man! I went into a mild state of shock - Tom's very own sister, the most beautiful ex-nun I had ever seen! Wow! Then we all sat down to one of Grace’s great dinners and conversed politely the rest of the evening.
I can’t remember what we ate or what we said. I recall only my intense awareness .....of this ‘heavenly presence’ sitting next to me!
“And thus it came to pass"...mom and I were engaged on Valentine’s Day ‘69. Married on a steamy hot August 13th and honeymooned at the Pink Sands in Bermuda. Within 5 short years we were a sprawling, bawling family of five tucked away in the idyllic little village of "Seaford-by-the-Sea", Long Island. Why did all this happen to your mother and me? Luck? Chance? Happenstance? Blind destiny? Or, was it the Providence of a loving God, guiding us to this crossroad in our lives? You know what your mother and I believe. Once again, we’ll be celebrating December 5th at our favorite Delaware restaurant, the“Dome”, out in Hockessin. Another dinner celebration of our life together. The gold dress and Jane Fonda boots are long since gone. But the memory of that first evening dinner together, chez Tom and Grace, is still so strong within us. We have so much to be thankful for…..most especially, for the three of you!
