Tradition!

Tradition!

Under the chuppah on their wedding day in Chicago, December 1, 1949, my parents: Gloria and Ben Starr. Peeking past the rabbi is Charlie Isaacs, in my dad's words, "A great guy and head writer who got me on the Al Jolson show, and Martin and Lewis." Also in the photo, Jerry Lewis and his wife Patty. The man on my dad's right is Bob Redd, producer. Next to Charlie Isaac's, Sheldon Leonard. 

Tradition!

As my brother John likes to remind me, today would've been their 68th wedding anniversary. Even though they're not here to celebrate, I still wish John and I could step into the ol' time machine and go back to Westwood Village, late '60s/early '70s. Every year leading up to December 1st, John and I made a pilgrimage to a fancy china shop called Foster's. We counted up our savings, culled from the weekly allowances of the three Starr children, and bought our parents a nice tchotchke. 

One year, we bought twin egg coddlers like these. 

Another year, a teacup on a stand like this. 

The following year, silver hors d'oeuvre forks like these.

I'm not sure if they ever used these gifts more than once, but my mom displayed them on the antique hutch that broke my heart to part with after my dad passed away. Somewhere in my house, or maybe John's, there's a pair of egg coddlers gathering dust, a reminder of our parents, who loved each other to the moon and back for 50 years on Earth. If that's not worth celebrating, what is?