My mom and dad vowed to each other, the rest of their lives.
Talk about pressure. This was not just a marriage of two people. This was an instant family. A wife, two kids, and his and her cats. Shit got real serious when they said 'I Do'. Lesser people, would have failed. But my parents accomplished the almost unaccomplishable. I was four at the time. My memories are vague. But I could probably imagine that our little trio (my mom, brother, and myself) was a bit bruised and broken. Twenty years ago, not only did two people commit their lives together--they committed to rebuild something that was broken. And they succeeded.
So while this is my parents wedding anniversary, I do find some sentimental value in it for myself (goodness how narcissistic is that?) But what I mean is, not only was their marriage significant for them--it was extremely significant for me as well.
I learned about love. Not the puppy dog stuff. Not the on-again-and-off-again kinda love. Not love as a feeling. Love as a verb. Something you do. A commitment. The type of love God wants us to have.
Love is a giving. I saw my dad giving to his family. Providing for his wife and her two kids that he loved like his own. Sacrificing, to provide. He never once, NEVER--made us feel like HER kids. He made us HIS from day one. His priority. His to protect. His to nurture. His to provide for. That, is sacrifice. That is giving. That, is love.
I saw my mom. Role modeling how to be a good wife. Breakfast on the table. Clean house. Clean laundry. Dinner on the table. Not because she wanted to, because she has love for her man. Each task was her giving to her family. Giving to her man. I am sure, there were days she came home--absolutely exhausted from her back breaking part-time job---but she still put dinner on the table and awaited my dad with a kiss. Why? Because love is a verb. It is something you do. No matter how tired--she never grew resentful. She simply showered us all with love.
These are two people. My mom and dad. That did not spend much time thinking about their own feelings and whether or not they 'felt the love'. These are two people that put each other first. Twenty years ago, they came together and fixed something that was broken. And twenty years later, they are still loving each other in that same manner.
Their marriage brought so much peace and happiness into our lives. For twenty years, their marriage proved itself through the test of time and teenagers. And when I reflect over the years, I smile over the twenty years of peaceful family living they provided. Nightly dinners around the table. Full of laughs. Him and her sitting side by side at EVERY event for their kids. Every practice. Every ball game. They were there, together. Giving to each other, and giving to us.
In a world where most marriages fail--they bring me hope. Not just hope--but an example to live by. If I live by the formula they demonstrated over the past twenty years--I too can continue to celebrate anniversaries.
Happy 20th Anniversary to my parents. I will be forever grateful for the example you have given me.
Talk about pressure. This was not just a marriage of two people. This was an instant family. A wife, two kids, and his and her cats. Shit got real serious when they said 'I Do'. Lesser people, would have failed. But my parents accomplished the almost unaccomplishable. I was four at the time. My memories are vague. But I could probably imagine that our little trio (my mom, brother, and myself) was a bit bruised and broken. Twenty years ago, not only did two people commit their lives together--they committed to rebuild something that was broken. And they succeeded.
So while this is my parents wedding anniversary, I do find some sentimental value in it for myself (goodness how narcissistic is that?) But what I mean is, not only was their marriage significant for them--it was extremely significant for me as well.
I learned about love. Not the puppy dog stuff. Not the on-again-and-off-again kinda love. Not love as a feeling. Love as a verb. Something you do. A commitment. The type of love God wants us to have.
Love is a giving. I saw my dad giving to his family. Providing for his wife and her two kids that he loved like his own. Sacrificing, to provide. He never once, NEVER--made us feel like HER kids. He made us HIS from day one. His priority. His to protect. His to nurture. His to provide for. That, is sacrifice. That is giving. That, is love.
I saw my mom. Role modeling how to be a good wife. Breakfast on the table. Clean house. Clean laundry. Dinner on the table. Not because she wanted to, because she has love for her man. Each task was her giving to her family. Giving to her man. I am sure, there were days she came home--absolutely exhausted from her back breaking part-time job---but she still put dinner on the table and awaited my dad with a kiss. Why? Because love is a verb. It is something you do. No matter how tired--she never grew resentful. She simply showered us all with love.
These are two people. My mom and dad. That did not spend much time thinking about their own feelings and whether or not they 'felt the love'. These are two people that put each other first. Twenty years ago, they came together and fixed something that was broken. And twenty years later, they are still loving each other in that same manner.
Their marriage brought so much peace and happiness into our lives. For twenty years, their marriage proved itself through the test of time and teenagers. And when I reflect over the years, I smile over the twenty years of peaceful family living they provided. Nightly dinners around the table. Full of laughs. Him and her sitting side by side at EVERY event for their kids. Every practice. Every ball game. They were there, together. Giving to each other, and giving to us.
In a world where most marriages fail--they bring me hope. Not just hope--but an example to live by. If I live by the formula they demonstrated over the past twenty years--I too can continue to celebrate anniversaries.
Happy 20th Anniversary to my parents. I will be forever grateful for the example you have given me.
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