Golden Wedding Anniversaries

This is the month of brides, and while we celebrate new beginnings, it’s also great to celebrate couples who have been together for many years. My aunt and uncle will celebrate their fiftieth wedding anniversary on June 15^th, and all the family is gathering to honor them on this very special occasion.

I’ve known four couples to make it to their fiftieth wedding anniversary. Both sets of grandparents, my parents and now my aunt and uncle. So I asked my uncle to tell me why he thought that their marriage had lasted when others have not. He gave me such a wonderful detailed description that I don’t have the room to put everything he said here. 

His first recommendation is that young people wait and not be in a hurry to marry, but instead be in love, not lust.  Look for a partner who is honest, trustworthy and is committed to the relationship. Look at their parents to see what kind of example they are setting and what kind of home they have established for their children. These characteristics will be passed down to any children the two of you have, so be certain their son or daughter is right for you.  Once you’re certain, this is the right person, then commit 100% to making the love of your life happy.  

Always put your mate first and remember what they want. You’re on this journey of life together, and the decisions you make as an individual will affect your partner. Their needs should be put before your own.

My aunt is his best-friend. They have always shared and talked about everything and prefer to spend time with each other rather than anyone else. He went on and on about what a fabulous wife my aunt is and how she established a loving home for their children and was a great example to them and a wonderful help mate.  He said, “Donnette has been a great wife because she always puts me first and supported me in whatever decisions that we have made.”

As I read his email, he brought tears to my eyes, when he said this about my aunt, “She has made me happy by loving me and being affectionate at the right times, a good listener when needed, a partner when necessary and a partner in the marriage and home. She has been right beside me holding my hand in the good times and in the bad times. She has been an extension of who I am. I have been the most blessed person on the earth and God brought the most wonderful person into my life to share it with me and made me a much better person.”

The most important reason they have been together for fifty years is that they always kept God in their marriage. They have attended church and been involved in church wherever they lived.

Yes, God has played a big part in their relationship, but there is another line in his email that said a lot about my uncle as a husband. He says, “I don't know whether I have been a good husband or not, but I know that I have committed myself to my family, which is my wife, children and parents. A good husband has lots of characteristics such as Godliness, love, honesty, faithfulness, and a good provider.”

Uncle Stan, I’m certain that if I asked my aunt, she’d say you’ve been an excellent husband. Thanks for the both of you being such a great example of love and marriage and sharing with us today. May you have many more wonderful years together.

Sylvia McDaniel likes to write about brides and happily ever afters.  Check out her latest release, The Wanted Bride on Amazon http://ow.ly/lG7AR or Barnes and Noble http://ow.ly/lG7Gg.