Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 1946 : A Very Special Family Day

Listen, people.  It's that holiday that we all enjoy....for various reasons.  Some like it for the vast selection of foods that some people display before their guests...what to try first?  And others love it because it means family, functional or dysfunctional, gathering and spending time conversing about a bunch of topics.  Politics, sports, one-ups-manship, health issues....you name it.  And hopefully there are no loud disagreements.  Everyone is glad it's here, and afterwards, some are glad it's over.

In our family, Thanksgiving meant all of the above, plus, it meant that Mom and Dad celebrated another wedding anniversary.  Yes, Mom and Dad were married on November 28, 1946.  I guess it was a good way to get the family together, and celebrate a wedding at the same time.

Anna Marie and Frank Bognar, Jr.

They were married at St. Leo's Catholic Church in St. Louis, Missouri.

They looked so happy on that special day.

My guess is that Thanksgiving Day has had a very  special meaning to them ever since that wonderful day.  I have never know a greater love between two people.  I wish that I had experienced that kind of love in my life.  It was so very special.  You could tell it was there, each time you looked at them together.

Mom had two sisters, a sister-in-law and a cousin in her wedding party.  Her brother stepped in and gave her away at her wedding, since her father had passed away when she was 3 years old.

Dad had a brother, brother-in-law and two Navy buddies in his wedding party.  They were so very much ready to start their lives together, after the years of war that kept Dad away from Mom for some time.  

St. Leo's Church, Archdiocese of St. Louis, Missouri, archstl.org

St. Leo's Catholic Church was build in 1888, and located on the corner of 23rd Street and Mullanphy Streets. Mom and her siblings lived just down the street from the church on Mullanphy Street.  It was originally an Irish church, but Italian families, like Mom's, began to move into the neighborhood, and the parish membership was thoroughly integrated after several years. In 1963, the parish was merged with St. Bridget's Church, and in 1978 the church building was razed.

How I wished that I could have been there to see these two wonderful people begin their lives together.  Of course, I did not come along until ten years later.  But still, I saw what wonderful people they were during my lifetime.  It just would have been so nice to be there all those years before to witness more years of their love for each other, and the love that they spread all over the world.

My parents are both deceased now.  Dad passed in 2002.  Mom passed in 2011. They are celebrating their special time together once again. And how wonderful it must be in heaven...to witness the two of them in each others arms, sharing their love and compassion for everyone, and celebrating their wedding anniversary this Thanksgiving weekend. Imagine the happiness up there in the Lord's house.

Happy Thanksgiving to all. Remember to celebrate the special relationships that you have.  They will be with you now and forever.