Ponder this:

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

August 16, 1980

Thirty-one years ago, I got me a husband.
I paid for the wedding bands because he didn't have any money, although he worked like a dog. 
My mother wore black, my sister wore the dress I had asked her not to wear, the minister had my brother-in-law in his office and his hand out for money almost before we'd finished walking back down the aisle.
A friend of a friend took photographs and most of them were not great.
It took a year before we realized that being married meant something different than we'd thought it had.
It took five years to accept that difference.
After ten years, we had been through some fire together, and had escaped with some scars but no lasting damage.
At twenty-five years, we came to a bridge that appeared to be out. Only one of us could cross the river, it seemed. But we both ended up on the other side. Together.
The thirty-year anniversary was overshadowed by health issues, but we're still here.
Still together.
OLD FRIENDS by Roberta Wesley shows two hands joined in marriage till death they do part.


Together. Still.

26 comments:

Friko said...

Congratulations!

I hope it's a reason to be cheerful as well as smug.
(Only joking)

The Cranky Crone, she lives alone! said...

I guess nobody mentions hard work and guts, when talking about marriage, but clearly they are needed, same with giving birth!
Well done and congratualtions to you both.

Mac n' Janet said...

We've been on that journey too, will have our 46th this year and it has been a wonderful journey. Congratulations on your anniversary.

Blipfillypicklepoo said...

Congratulations, June! That is a major accomplishment. I wish you and your husband many more happy, healthy years.

Autumn Mist said...

Congratulations, that is, indeed, a massive achievement, especially in today's throwaway society. Here's to many more!

Carolynn Anctil said...

This is a beautiful tribute to your relationship. Honest and loving. Having had one failed marriage, I know that every year is a victory. Happy Anniversary!

rachel said...

May you have many more years together, perhaps without so much hard work being required!

Olga said...

Happy Anniversary.
This was such an honest tribute to an enduring marriage.

Grandmother Mary said...

There are lots of ebbs and flows during the years, aren't there? Congratulations on staying the course. It can be a pretty wild ride! But oh so worthwhile.

Jacqueline Donnelly said...

Good for you guys! I wish you many more years of adventures together. It will be 49 years for my husband and me this January, and all is beautifully serene at last, after weathering storms along the way, and before the rocky shoals of old age and dying. Enjoy the peaceful lulls, you've earned them.

Sally Wessely said...

This is the best tribute to a marriage I think I have ever read. Congratulations to you on your anniversary.

#1Nana said...

The Universe is working to send me reminders that my anniversary is just around the corner.

This is a great tribute to your marriage. Best wishes for many more good years.

VioletSky said...

Congratulations. Your survival tactics (instincts?) have not let you down. I've never been married, but can still appreciate the challenges.

SmitoniusAndSonata said...

Congratulations ! By the sounds of it you both got good'uns .
Here's to the next thirty-one ...

Fran Hill said...

Yay, well done! We'll have done 30 next year. How did that happen? Especially as he STILL refuses to hang the dishcloth on the tap the way I've tried to train him.

Wanda..... said...

'Together. Still.' That was lovely, June! I could relate!

I love you, still. That's how my husband signs cards to me.

Hilary said...

Happy Anniversary. It's all about the trip.. the ups and downs. It's a process.

Janett Brown said...

This is the real meaning of "living the sweet and the bitter together"
Happy anniversary.

fiftyodd said...

I absolutely relate to this post - married 35 years this year. We aimed to get married in a registry office (I didn't like fancy weddings and none of my family could attend from across the other side of the world) but my mother-in-law found out and stymied our plan insisting on arranging an ad hoc wedding for us - at which I scarcely knew any of the guests. And yes, being married for so many years is sometimes hard work but it is so worth it!

Pauline said...

marriage is such a learning experience - the plus(and the minus sometimes) is that you have someone to share it with! Congratulations on achieving a milestone anniversary.

Tom said...

Still crazy after all those years, huh? Good for you!

Barb said...

Happy Anniversary! Yours falls 2 days after ours. Yes, it takes hard work, doesn't it? I guess it's best the young are blinded by love and don't really know what marriage entails. Glad yours was worth the effort! Ours, too.

Hildred said...

Congratulations, - we have been 'bearing' and 'forebearing' for almost 67 years. Life is occasionally tempestuous, but always committed. I wish you both many more years of love. Still.

Linda Myers said...

Congratulations! Nice to have that long, long history together.

Vicki Lane said...

Well done. I wonder if any long married couple knew what to expect in the beginning.

#1Nana said...

June,
Tomorrow i celebrate my 40th anniversary! I almost forgot about it until I read your post. Just wanted you to know that I'm linking to your post.
Jann