36 and counting
Today my parents are celebrating their 36th wedding anniversary.
Since that time, much has changed:
1. They no longer spend Friday nights playing bingo to keep them in pizza and beer.
2. They have upgraded from the trailer they lived in shortly after they were married.
3. When my kids come to visit, they don't have to sleep in a drawer like I did after I was born.
4. My dad is no longer in school.
5. The Democratic party is two votes shorter today than they were in 1970.
Throughout that time, much has stayed the same:
1. They say "I love you" before they hang up the phone, leave the house, or go to bed.
2. They do lots of things together - golf, bike, go for walks and travel.
3. Their home is a good place to gather. They are terrific hosts welcoming friends and family for food and as many activities as a person can handle.
4. They are able to appreciate each other and enjoy each other's company.
5. They are calm people, able to handle whatever comes their way.
And, a few things have come full circle:
1. My mom has started hunting with my dad on occasion.
2. They recently purchased camping equipment after 25 years of trading in camping for hotels, with the agreement that they can stay in hotels every few days and the purchase of a deluxe camping mattress.
Congratulations to my parents on 36 years of marriage. Your relationship and commitment to each other is an inspiration and gives us an excellent model to follow. May you have many more happy years together. And may you also stop taunting me with email messages sent from your oceanside view about how great your vacation is without us.
Since that time, much has changed:
1. They no longer spend Friday nights playing bingo to keep them in pizza and beer.
2. They have upgraded from the trailer they lived in shortly after they were married.
3. When my kids come to visit, they don't have to sleep in a drawer like I did after I was born.
4. My dad is no longer in school.
5. The Democratic party is two votes shorter today than they were in 1970.
Throughout that time, much has stayed the same:
1. They say "I love you" before they hang up the phone, leave the house, or go to bed.
2. They do lots of things together - golf, bike, go for walks and travel.
3. Their home is a good place to gather. They are terrific hosts welcoming friends and family for food and as many activities as a person can handle.
4. They are able to appreciate each other and enjoy each other's company.
5. They are calm people, able to handle whatever comes their way.
And, a few things have come full circle:
1. My mom has started hunting with my dad on occasion.
2. They recently purchased camping equipment after 25 years of trading in camping for hotels, with the agreement that they can stay in hotels every few days and the purchase of a deluxe camping mattress.
Congratulations to my parents on 36 years of marriage. Your relationship and commitment to each other is an inspiration and gives us an excellent model to follow. May you have many more happy years together. And may you also stop taunting me with email messages sent from your oceanside view about how great your vacation is without us.
Congratulations (I am assuming Pat and Jane are reading this) and Pat - I think you may owe Phil for the camping - see he told this joke when Jane was here and she laughed pretty hard, but maybe it had an effect on her. We were talking about how men only dance with you at the wedding, and then they don't dance anymore. And Phil commented that it goes both ways, that after the wedding women stop doing something too - camping.
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