While the 52nd week of another season fades in the rearview mirror of our marathon lives, my own week features an added, and quite special, milestone…
Penning this column two days ahead of the Times launching her inaugural 2026 publication, I ‘today’ (Dec. 30) am reflecting on the 58 years of married living with Alice Ann Lout. My Montana bride.
What a memorable moment, that chilly late-December evening of 1967. My (preacher) father-in-law administered the vows – his declaration of days earlier fresh in my ears, “Once I tie the knot it, it’s tied!”
A biting north wind had swept into Okmulgee and along her north Oklahoma Street where the modest church facility was hosting our matrimonial union. The wintry blast brought with it intermittent sheets of icy rainfall – Brrr.
The parsonage – home of the host pastor – lay beyond the church parking lot. The wedding photographer, a resourceful and energetic personality, ventured a suggestion: “How about we get a shot of the groom carrying his bride across the threshold!”
That image – me in my spiffy J.C. Pennys suit, bearing my breathtaking beauty up to an open doorway and through the entryway – ranks, in my books, as a photography masterpiece. And, the teasing calls of “don’t drop her!” echo til this day.
Thresholds. Yes, they are a thing. Happy New Year, everyone. Happy Anniversary, darlin’!
– ©2026 Jerry Lout Jerry Lout was raised in Okmulgee County. His two memoirs, “Living with a Limp” and “Giants in the Rough,” highlight the dual encounters with Polio and his decades living and working in East Africa. jerrylout@gmail.com, 918-857-4373
