Vicki Ellis Griffis

The Celeste Tribune

“Forty years!“ my daughter, Stefani said as she and my son, Jeff pulled out the scrapbook they had compiled of well-wishes which had poured in. I was totally caught off guard because I had not seen any of the cards and letters they had intercepted. Over eighty friends and family had not forgotten our big day.

“We’ll read them and you guess who wrote them,” Stefani squealed in delight. As she began to read them, tears flowed down her cheeks and she had to pass off the reading to “the boys.”

My middle sister, Carol, said it all started a long, long, “loooooong” time ago, or as our nephew, Robert put it, “Wow, 40 years, that’s a long time, you all are getting on up there.”

My youngest sister told of how she watched our love story unfold. Diane, who was eleven at the time we wed, said she was so happy we got married because she loved Sammy so much. In fact, she said she wanted to marry him herself, mostly because he would let her drive his car, (off-road of course) - wink, wink.

Sammy’s brother Bill wondered, “Has it really been forty years since ’Mr. Wonderful’ and ’Miss Vicki’ tiptoed through the tulips? I call him Mr. Wonderful because when he got ready to go on a date with Vicki, he would look in the mirror and say, ‘I get better looking each day; I can hardly wait until tomorrow!” Oh, the joys of youth!

Speaking of looks, one friend commented that the two of us have been together so long, we look like twins! My immediate thought was, “Do I need to shave my beard?” Oh, the perils of old age!

But then I read Jess’s words of how his grandfather was a very smart man who told him that he was a part of every man he ever met. And I realized how very fortunate I was to look like this man who was sitting right beside me.

We listened, laughed and cried (well, I did see a lump in Sammy’s throat a time or two) as our friends described us as two poles of a magnet - Sammy a little shy and happy to stay home; Vicki - vivacious and vociferous (in a sweet way), Sammy - ha-ha funny (although he does like to shop), the funniest man I ever listened to, who can spin a tale better than anybody - light spirits who have a never-ending ability to have fun, find the good, laugh much and forgive often, and always give the credit to God.

Jeff said, “We have been through thousands of good times and a “few” bad, but there have been two constants in my life . One - Mom and Dad will always be there for me when I need them, and two - they will always be there for me TOGETHER.

We were lost in a world of laughter. Some were not so funny at the time. Thanks son-in-law Joel, for bringing them up. Seriously, we find them hysterical now.

Like the time I wanted to cook chicken livers after church and was told, “NO, NOBODY likes chicken livers!” by the whole family at once. Don’t know why. Probably the start of hormone havic for me, but this just hit me wrong and I told Sammy to pull over and let me out - ON HWY 69 of all places. I walked home with them following behind me begging me to get back in the car before their lunatic wife and mother got run over. Nope, I was NEVER going back home to an ungrateful family - except to get my car. I headed to, um, I didn’t know where else to go. As I drove around awhile, my hormones adjusted properly and I realized everything I loved was back at home. Driving down the dirt road in front of the house, I saw Sammy and Jeff standing on the front porch with our old collie, Jack patiently waiting for Mama to cool off and run back home to loving arms.

Or the time Sammy and the guys were playing cards in one room, and their wives and I were playing cards in another room. I was half-listening to the wives and half-listening to the men when I heard Sammy telling the same story he had told about an hour ago and THEN I heard Jerald answer the same way. We got up to see what was going on and the guys were gone. They got a head start on disappearing wherever it was they went without us by taping an hour of their fun and games, and then playing it back so we thought they were still in there.

Our friend, Gina wrote that “one” of us had a high degree of tolerance. Wonder which one she meant? There were many other stories of things which happened in the blink of an eye, as Lisa put it. Friends gathered round playing cards, Pictionary, The Newlywed game, Trivial Pursuit, volleyball, hanging out by the pool, going out to eat after church, kid’s church plays, ballgames, trips, slumber parties, and Sammy’s never-ending family vacation films. I can see Kim‘s eyes rolling back in her head now!

Many remembered our escapades as Polly Darton and Speck, Mr. “G” and “Howiette” Cosell, the California Raisins, Paul and Paula (where I was Paul and he was Paula), and our infamous Valentine’s Roasts of our friends. “George Burns and Gracie Allen, peas and carrots, salt and pepper, Fred and Ginger,“ one is just not as good without the other.

So many wished us Forty More. Amy says she wouldn’t be surprised. She sees Sammy still riding his bike (or will it be ‘trike”), trying to get back that army figure and Vicki with her hair and nails done with the perfect set of matching earrings. But Joel says he just can’t see it - Sammy being able to chew chicken livers with false teeth or Vicki making it ten yards down Hwy 69!

Yes, I can truthfully say life with Sammy Griffis has been anything but dull. Stefani said, “Mom, I love your laugh. You can hear it a mile away and there is never any doubt where you are when you are happy.“

So if any of you are within a mile of our house, just know that laugh you hear is me sitting next to Sammy, right where I am happiest.