It's odd when you think about how much attention we give to multiples of five. Why are 5, 10, 20 or 25 year celebrations all that more significant than some odd number?

Your mom and I celebrated 23 years together yesterday, and we nearly let it slip by. She is so busy with school and getting her doctorate, that she has turned her laser focus onto her studies. I wasn't really expecting much, because we hope to get away sometime this Fall and celebrate.

I know this is crazy, but since we re-watched LOST this summer, I keep noticing the Numbers all of the time again. And you know that 23 is one them. So in some cooky-LOST way, this anniversary had all of the mystery and magic that I was hoping for.

Mom was able to get all of her studying done on Saturday, so we hopped in the car and went exploring the Botanical Gardens in Springfield. It was the first REAL Fall day of the year: the sky had turned brilliant blue and the temperature dropped so that we needed, I mean really needed, to wear a jacket.

We walked about the Master Garden which was beautifully in bloom. We crushed rosemary between our fingers and its strong scent stayed on my hands for the rest of the day.

It's funny how that garden is a lot like our lives: It needs constant work, different parts are beautiful at different times. Sometimes it's best to let the weeds grow, sometimes is best to trim them all back.

Kind of like LOST, too. There are times when it just doesn't make sense and it celebrates numbers that apparently have no purpose--until you look a bit deeper. 23 was as special to me this year as any year before it, mostly for its simple beauty and quiet riddle of importance.