34 years ain't nothin' to sneeze at!

Today is the 34th anniversary of my parents' wedding. In today's day and age, being married for 34 years is a pretty huge feat. I'm proud of them. And I'm even more proud to be their daughter. They have made it through hard times and easy times, rich times and poor times, fat times and lean times ... you name it, they've done it. They've built three wonderful and loving homes for their four children (not all at the same time, of course!), and they have instilled a firm sense of morality and values in each of us. They are giving to a fault, and they lead by example. Their faith in us and in each other is never-ending, and they are an inspiration to their children and grandchildren.


I've always heard the 1 Corinthians passage and never really thought much about it. But now, as an adult thinking about my parents on this important day, I see how much it applies to the deep and honest love that my parents share. 


"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. [...] And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."


Even when my parents have seemed to lose all patience in us and in each other, they stick it out and see the good that is there beneath our frustrating and tarnished surfaces. Their love is simple and uncomplicated; they don't need fancy bells and whistles to prove how deeply their love runs. While we all may have the infamous "Short" fuse,  Mom and Dad are slow to provoke each other (despite knowing just how to push each others' buttons!), and they don't keep a scorecard of who did what. No matter what happens between them, they rejoice in each other's successes and truly feel for each other in trail and failure. They know that each day brings a new beginning, regardless of what came the day before. Every day provides them with the chance to once again show just how important they are to each other. 

I feel truly blessed to have them as my "marriage model." (Let' just ignore the fact that my attempt at marriage failed miserably.) Given the right partner, I can only hope to work towards the relationship that they have.

My amazing parents -
I love you.

On a very related note, today is also my grandparents' (Mom's parents) 63 anniversary. They've raised 6 great kids and have had a long, loving relationship. Because Gram hates her picture taken, I have no real pictures of them together, save one. But that one picture is an actual "picture," and I don't have it scanned in. Happy anniversary, Gram and Gramp!