For Our Twenty-Fifth Wedding Anniversary, My Husband Surprised Me With Italy

For our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, my husband surprised me with a trip to Italy.

I was thrilled.

Italy had always been our dream.

When we were newly married, we had taped a photograph of Venice to the refrigerator and promised ourselves that someday we’d stand beside those canals together.

But life happened.

There were bills, jobs, children, mortgages, sick parents, and a thousand ordinary responsibilities.

Every few years, we’d say, “Maybe next year.”

Then