Our Rabbi asked us: "Why do we love each other?"
Here are the answers:
My Gideon
Adorable, loveable, funny, intelligent, fantastic, and charming. This is Gideon. This is the man I love. Why do I love you? I wont count all the ways, but there are two important ones: you make me laugh and you make me think.
You are always thinking, which is admirable, but its the way that you consider things that makes you special. Its not just the obvious method or the way everyone else approaches a problem; you consider many different alternatives and then conclude that logic always prevails. Youre intuitive, reasonable, and creative. Remember when you were flying on the KC 135, or the Vomit Comet as its frequently called? You concluded that the expensive device which NASA had purchased to determine when the plane speed equaled that of gravity, was subject to extreme vibration problems. So you held a pencil until it floated and used that to begin the zero gravity experiments. Logic prevailed and the simplest technique worked. If you dont know the mathematical solution to a problem, your intuition and experience will suggests a rationale. Invariable, theres mathematician or physicist who derives formulas that verify your idea as accurate. You always say that you are a talent integrator, but for that, you must be smart enough to know what you want integrated and who has the right talent.
You have always loved to study: biomechanics led you to computers which directed your thinking to software; physiology developed into the study of how the body moves; film cameras became digital cameras and that led to the complex integration of cameras, computers, printers, scanners, and finally digital photography. You have always been a student with depth. Now, youre stretching your mind by adding history and the theater! After three years at Christ Church, Oxford University, youre beginning to love history (Im so excited about that!!). In addition, youve added London theater to your learning list!
Travel doesnt necessarily require thinking, but we always study and learn where ever we go. Originally, we were working and added the fun, leisure parts to the business. In recent years, we have historical and geographical overlays to each place we go and expand our minds while were there.
Theres never a dull moment with you. I read that a person laughs at something that is unexpected. You are always doing and/or saying the unexpected! You make silly jokes, funny faces, tell stories about experiences, and say outrageous things. Your smile and the twinkle in your eyes are infectious. I never know what funny thing youre going to do next or say so Im surprised and amused every day. Just walking through the airport will be a trip of humor for you. You have that funny little walk that cracks me up every time. You have such a clever mind and a quick wit so that you can always make a joke any time, place or circumstance.
They say that a Sabra, a native Israeli, is hard on the outside and soft on the inside and this description fits you perfectly. You can be firm, confident, and determined. We started our biomechanical business when we were graduate students with only $5.00 and a great idea! With charm and charisma, you convinced many large, well-known companies to hire us to do their R&D testing. For example, in a study on sound, we had a world-renowned violinist playing his instrument in front of our office wearing only his concert shoes and underwear. During an experiment to ascertain if there was a product defect by the manufacturer, we had gymnastic teams doing stunts on force platforms to measure the landing forces. We even had an extensive project to test feminine hygiene products. Somehow you convinced even the most skeptical company executives that we could help them improve their products.
On the soft side, you are a very sensitive, emotional individual. You can cry at movies, events, places, and for people. You also have a special capacity to know the best thing to do in a difficult situation. I remember the time we were waiting in line at John Wayne Airport for a flight to the East Coast. In line ahead of us were a young Marine and his wife. When it was their turn to buy his ticket, the airline counter agent refused to accept the young soldiers check. The Marine and his wife plead their case that the airlines assured them his check would be accepted with his military ID. He was on his way home to see his mother before being deployed overseas. Unfortunately, the agent refused to take the check and the plane was scheduled to depart before he could go to the bank for a cashiers check. We listened to the discussion, until you turned to me and we knew exactly what to do. You told the airline agent that we would pay for the Marines ticket. The Marine, his wife, the airline agent, and the people in line behind us were astonished at your offer. The Marine was so thankful and appreciative and gave us the check for the ticket price. Then you purchased your own ticket and left for your trip. Subsequently, we called the bank, verified that the check was good, and then we tore it up.
Thirty-five years ago, I was surprised after being your graduate school friend for two years, when the proverbial light bulb came on over my head and I discovered that I loved my best friend and fellow student. Since then, Ive loved you will all my heart, my mind, and my being. Each and every day I tell you that I love you more than yesterday. I dont know how its possible to love you more each day, but I do. You make me a better person than I am without you, you give my world vast dimensions of joy, creativity, and happiness, and you let me love you. You are my love and my life.
To my Darling and Life Partner: Ann
I wish words could be seen three dimensionally. The third dimension is the unseen feeling that I wish I could express and do not have enough words in that dimension to say it.
From the first time I saw you working in the Motor Integration laboratory at the University of Massachusetts, I knew that there was something in your soul which was unexplainable. I was in awe, when you were able to answer all the difficult questions by our Statistical Professor when the rest of the class looked at you with surprise. I remember approaching you, without ever knowing your name, and asked you how you knew the answers, and what did you do to know them. You answered me with an expression like Go to the library and find for yourself. Wow, I thought! Who is that girl? The beautiful blond with the great body, wearing a mini skirt, who blew me off like that?
I was so lucky to be officially introduced to you later at the University by our dear mutual friend, Jim Sallidas. I remember he told you: THIS is crazy Gideon. You responded with: Oh, this is the crazy Gideon that you have been telling me about for such a long time? I was so lucky to be crazy then and I continue to be crazy about you.
So, 35 years have passed and what a life we have had together. We studied together, we traveled together, we created together, we invented together, we laughed and cried together. So, in 35 years there is nothing that we havent done together. It would take books to describe all our experiences and we havent reached the end yet. We are just starting now.
Now 35 years later, I love you more than ever for all the reasons that made me fall in love with you in the first place and all the other fantastic qualities you had and still have. As I said before, I love you more than words can say because there are no words to describe all the wonderful things about you and the marvelous life we have together.
My darling, I am so lucky to have you and thank God that He blessed me with you to share my life.
I love you
Gideon