Sixty-six years ago today a sassy lil’ gal married a very handsome boy.
She was eighteen, he was nineteen, and they married just before midnight, since she had to cover her swing shift at the telephone office where she worked.
Aren’t their matching shirts cute!
Life wasn’t always easy for them. Far from it.
They had plenty of rough patches to work through, but they remained committed to each other and the vows they made.
Their little family grew from the two of them to three with the arrival of a bouncing baby boy.
It expanded to four with the birth of another boy.
And then my sister came along making them a happy group of five.
Evidently, after twenty years of marriage, they still liked each other, because they had me. (Both of my brothers look like they’re waiting for me to do something awful.)
And the family continued to grow with the arrival of grandbabies…
And grow (the one holding the baby was the baby in the previous photo). This was taken at Mom and Dad’s 50th wedding anniversary.
They’ve been there for each other for 66 years. They’ve fought and loved, laughed and cried, watched their children grow up, their grandchildren grow up, welcomed the arrival of great-grandchildren, and buried a child.
If you ask them individually, they’ll both tell you the secret to a happy marriage is listening to your partner and not always trying to be right.
( I can’t help but wonder what Dad said to Mom in this photo to make her smile like that…)
If you ask me, though, I’d say a big part of their longevity and happiness comes from:
*My dad’s great sense of humor and the fact that he absolutely adores my mom. He always has and, after 66 years of marriage, I think it’s safe to say he always will.
*My mom’s loyalty and devotion to my dad and her ability to be a perfect balance to him.
I, for one, am so glad they fell in love and have remained in love all these many years.
Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!
