39 Years!

For some of you, 39 years of life has not even been achieved yet. In which case, this blog is probably beyond belief for you. For most of you older types, 39+ years of life have gone by and you wonder where your life has gone. For my wife and me, tomorrow will mark our 39th wedding anniversary! We are old and gray and decrepit (well, maybe not all THAT decrepit and my wife hides her gray well, with help), but we are still together. As with any couple, it has not always gone smoothly nor without second (or third or ...) thoughts. But we did decide to commit to our marriage on our marriage day and we have not forgotten those vows.

I sometimes think that parents too often set examples that delude their children about what marriage is all about. How often do we hear of people who never argue in front of their kids. Or who put up with intolerable situations 'for the sake of the kids'. By doing so, the kids believe they are living in the 'Cleaver' household (an idyllic family TV show for you youngsters) and that such a marriage is what they should expect. When reality sets in, they are ready to bolt.

I love my wife, respect her, but I definitely do not always agree with her. Sometimes I hide it, other times it comes out and we deal with it, or sometimes it comes out and we agree to ignore it. Whatever works for a particular situation.

On top of everything else, we are NOT the same two people that got married 39 years ago. Who could remain the same after marriage, kids, illnesses, deaths of our parents, and, the most amazing thing, grandchildren.

Life goes on, marriage goes on, and I'm glad of it!