It’s about 5:30 in the afternoon and the sun is low in the sky. Caroline and I had walked to the store and on our way back I noticed how beautiful her face was in the glow of the setting sun, so we had to stop on the edge of traffic and grab a photo. To those who might have thought her face color was due to the reflection off my shirt or that somehow she’d gone King Cheeto on me, both thoughts are wrong.

That today is International Women’s Day seems like a great reason to pause in my lament series and share a photo of the most important woman in my life. It’s simultaneously unbelievable and wonderful that somehow she and I have been walking hand in hand (always my right and her left as they just seem to fit better that way) for over 30 years. I certainly see my aging face like that of a man growing older but a lot of that has to do with the gray hair I’ve been cultivating. On the other hand, when I look into Caroline’s eyes I see exactly the woman I’d first fell in love with and it seems like hardly a day has passed.

While we’re apart during the middle of the day we try to chat at one another at least once an hour, much longer than that, and the pining to reach out becomes unbearable and one or the other will leave a nudge, a smile, a kiss, hug, or expression of affection that lets the other know they are almost constantly in their heart and thoughts.

Tomorrow Caroline will be away with some ladies working on their looms learning some new technique or other and I’ll be missing her a little bit more because on those days when she’s deep in her craft of exploring the world of fiber arts, I know her concentration is a little more focused than at other times and can understand that our communication is a bit less intense. All the same, I’ll think of her often and look forward to the latter part of the day when we’ll be back together so I can celebrate another moment of International Caroline’s Day.