When I met this man, we were just kids of 15, starting our first year of high school. We became great friends and by the time we were seniors, we decided we liked each other a lot more than just friends.
I outweighed him by about 40 pounds. He gave me his letter sweater as a sign of his devotion, and while others were drowning in their steadys’ sweaters, I couldn’t button his. His class ring just fit. We were an interesting couple, but God made sure that we would spend the rest of our lives together – not just as good friends, but as best friends forever.
We were 22 when we married. Quite young, by today’s standards, but anxious to begin our life together. Who knew that this snappy looking fellow was one to leave his dirty laundry in a pile in the middle of the floor and never closed the lid on the toilet? Who knew I would be greeted by undressed pheasants in the refrigerator.
Of course he had a lot to get used to as well. I squeezed the tube of toothpaste in the middle, rather than rolling up the tube. I also was known to go to bed with my socks on and hair in rollers. In my inexperience I left some frozen bread dough out to thaw. He came home to find all three loaves winding around the kitchen counter.
We’ve had our share of ups and downs over the years. We’ve had fights that seemed to scream divorce at us, but we never really voiced that thought. With each disagreement came compromise and compromise cemented the relationship.
Going through times of disappointment, loss, death, illness, growing up, having children, being responsible adults, facing adversity and struggling to make ends meet could’ve caused us to give up, but we didn’t forget our vows to remain faithful to each other forever. We saw faults in each other, but overlooked them because of our love. We encouraged each other when one was down. We stood beside each other through many problems and always looked to God to help us through the difficult times.
We laugh together. We enjoy many of the same activities, but each have our own special things that we take pride in. We’ve worked together to build a business. We cried together as it fell apart and we lost everything. We held each other tightly and comforted each other when we received news of serious health issues. We stood tall when each of our children was born and brought amazement, concern, love and even disappointment at times.
We are now in the latter years of our life together. It’s been a lovely ride in spite of the roller coaster effect. That’s what makes for the excitement of a solid marriage. That along with having God as the head of our house has been our mainstay.
Marriage isn’t easy and many choose not to do it. God instituted this sacred estate, not only for procreation of the species, but to share life with another – to rejoice in triumphs and lift each other up in times of grief – to be a helper for the other. I’m one of the lucky ones to have been blessed with my amazing husband for almost 53 years.
My husband was forbidden to purchase a gun when he lived with his parents. Their reasoning made perfect sense. They had witnessed many gun shot deaths in their business. When Paul got out of the Air Force and was still living at home, he purchased a gun. One evening, just as his dad was about to lock up the business, a man entered the building, came up behind Paul’s dad and threatened his life. Paul heard the commotion and approached the man with his gun drawn. It was then that his father agreed it was a good idea to have a gun on the premises.
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