Someone recently said, “August is sort of a nothing month.” I disagree with that assumption. It is a hot month, often the hottest of the year for the people of South Carolina. Kids are going back to school and college football is ramping up for another season. The anticipation of autumn begins to influence our thoughts.
August is named after Augustus Caesar and has two birthstones: peridot and sardonyx. The flower for this month is the gladiolus from the Latin word gladius, which means “sword.”
Aug. 12 is Vinyl Record Day and Aug. 13 is International Left-Handers Day.
August contains the dog days of summer, where there is a peak in both temperature and humidity.
Martin Luther King Jr. made his famous “I Have A Dream” speech on Aug. 28.
Our oldest and youngest daughters and our oldest grandchild were born in August.
Elvis Presley died in August 1977, three days before Anne and I were married. August is a meaningful month for our family. Following the wedding, we traveled to St. Augustine, Fla., where we quickly discovered we had food poisoning along with several members of the wedding party. Our first three days as husband and wife were spent in separate beds feeling pretty miserable. We did eventually revive and enjoyed the rest of our honeymoon.
We enjoyed St. Augustine Beach and Jacksonville Beach — and we even visited the Fountain of Youth, where I bought an empty bottle and filled it with water from the famous fountain.
I kept it in our fridge for many years, taking a sip now and then. Anne was somewhat disgusted with my practice. Eventually, we tossed the bottle and remaining water. It did not help me stay young, but I did start losing my hair!
This year we will celebrate our 45th wedding anniversary. I shared with my radiation oncologist that I wanted to live long enough to celebrate our 50th anniversary. He encouraged me, saying, “That’s very doable.” Then I pushed him a little further, saying I wanted to see all my grandchildren graduate from high school. He said it was good to have goals!
I was the pastor of my first church when we got married. Anne was teaching high school algebra. In January 1977 we spent a week attending the “January Bible Study” on Romans. That was the first time I told her indirectly that I loved her. When I dropped her off at her house, I asked her to look up a Bible verse and that would explain my feelings. The next night, on our way to Bible study, she didn’t say anything. I finally said, “Well, did you read the verse?” She grinned and said, “Yes, I love you, too.”
By the way, the verse was 2 Corinthians 11:11: “Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do!” This verse had nothing to do with my admission of my love for Anne, but it got the point across. Years later, she teased me about being a coward because I did not just come out and plainly say, “I love you.”
We owned almost nothing as newlyweds, but we were able to get a loan and move into our first house in August.
When I proposed, we went to my study and knelt before the couch to pray. While she was praying, I very quietly slipped the diamond ring and one rose from underneath the couch. I prayed briefly, and then she opened her eyes. That’s when I popped the question: “Will you marry me?” She responded with a yes and a hug.
I wasn’t trying to be cheap by giving her just one rose, but with my finances following the purchase of the ring, it was about all I could afford. I did not realize it then, but over the years one rose on our anniversary became the standard — and it was a lot cheaper than a dozen!
I like August, not because it is a spectacular month, but because of all the significant things that have occurred in our lives. I was born July 31 — almost an August baby.
Here’s to August — a great month!