usual wrangles in Congress over the budget, taxes, health benefits, and others. Unbelievably, the House of Representatives actually took up consideration of the bill James Wilkinson had requested. It passed with no dissenting votes. The measure called for Pastor Cooper to conduct a wedding ceremony for a deceased soldier named Frank Baxter to a living person named Mildred Allen at a time and place convenient to both of them. No license would be needed. At the ceremony, the persons needed in attendance with the pastor, were the bride, groom and a witness. The ceremony could be as complex or as simple as the bride and groom wanted it.
Pastor Cooper gave the good news to Mildred as soon as he could. She was overjoyed with the information, and said that Saturday, June 15 at two p.m. would be a good time for her and she would check with Frank to see if this date and time would also nr convenient for him. Pastor Cooper thought, inwardly, that he could not understand why any time at all would not be convenient for a ghost.
On June 15, Mildred and Pastor Cooper were sitting in the same chairs that they had sat in at an earlier time. The pastor wife, Susan, was standing at the doorway. "Is Frank here?" Pastor Cooper asked Mildred.
"I saw him last night," she responded. "And he said he would be here exactly on the dot."
"How will I know if he's here?" asked the pastor.
"I will tell you when he has arrived," she said. "I'll be able to see him. Even though you will not. He will respond to your questions, and you will hear his voice. I'll be looking forward to this myself since even though I have been seeing him for several weeks, I have never heard him speak."
"I am happy to see you again, Pastor Cooper," came a disembodied voice. Pastor Cooper, greatly astonished, looked in every direction but saw no one. He had enough presence of mind, however, to stand and ask the bride and groom to place themselves facing him. Then, assuming that they were there, he began the ceremony.
Although the pastor was not able to see Sergeant Baxter, Mildred could see he was there beside her. As she had expected, he was dressed in a handsome uniform and with medals on his chest.
When the pastor asked if Frank would take Mildred as his lawful wife, the clear voice of Sergeant Baxter was heard robustly saying, "I do!" Mildred responded to the question in the same way. Pastor Cooper declared the couple to be man and wife.
The new Mr. and Mrs. Baxter thanked Pastor Cooper for the service he had provided, then left. Susan, who had said nothing during the ceremony, declared, "I never felt so strange in all my life!"
"It was strange for me, too," responded her husband.
"Oh look," exclaimed Susan Cooper, "this wasn't here during the ceremony." She picked up an item from the table near the door, and handed it to the pastor. It was an envelope containing a thank you note that was signed by Sergeant Baxter. There were also several brand new bills of paper money in the envelope with strange symbols and writing on them. These turned out to be Iraqi dinars, which the pastor and his wife never exchanged for U.S. dollars.
Go Directly To
Your Sweetheart
Robert Stanton was born in Silverdale, South Carolina on April 17, 1919. He was graduated from Jefferson High School on June 3, 1937, and was hired as Product Inspector at Ajax Manufacturing in the same year. He became engaged to Angela Stanton late in 1940. The couple married on December 18, 1941 the day before he began service in the U.S. Army. He was killed in action on Omaha Beach in France on June 6, 1944.
Angela had been twenty when she married Robert. She never remarried.
While dating, the favorite song of the couple had been I'll Be Seeing You, with music by Sammy Fain and lyrics by Irving Kahal. This piece was particularly important to her because they had sung it together during the night they spent in each other's arms. He left to serve at six the next morning. They never saw each other again. She became the mother of Robert Stanton, Jr. on August 31, 1942.
The words of the song had meant a great deal to Angela because they represented pleasant memories of dates she had had with Robert before they married. They had had lunch at small cafes, and had often taken walks in the nearby park.
She couldn't recall whether they had ever seen chestnut trees, but the children's carousel had been important to the couple as they planned their future.
The words, "I'll be seeing you in every summer's day in everything that's light and gay," had been the most important part to her. In planning their life together, this is the kind of happy life they expected to experience for many more years of their lives. Angela always thought of him that way.
During the years Robert had served before he died, she looked for him in the morning sun and when the night was new. She would be looking at the moon but she would be seeing him.
Angela became a nurse and served in this capacity all her life. She died in June, 2016, holding the hand of Robert, Jr.
When she entered Heaven, St. Peter met with her and said, "no need to sign in right now, Angela, Robert is waiting for you. He's been sitting on a cloud humming an old tune all day. Go directly to your sweetheart!"
Note: The author of this story reads one of his stories on Youtube. To see and hear, open www.youtube.com and search for "Grandpa Mario reads Remembering the Anniversary".
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