Monday was not only the day my mom had surgery, it was the day my wife and I celebrated our 30th anniversary. In the early evening she and I did the dress-up and went out to dinner. I put on a coat and tie for the first time in years. She was beautiful!
Marriage gets a bad rap in this country. People change mates like they change tires. Wear one out, get another. Don’t like the ride? Get another. Performance not acceptable? Get another.
We’ve had tough times, arguments, schisms. But in thirty years we’ve weathered every storm and that little string that tied us together over thirty years ago has held solid. I’ve been stupid and selfish and confusing and probably worse. She’s stuck by me. She’s infuriated me, frustrated me, made me crazy, but I have never, ever stopped adoring her. From the very first moment I saw her, I have loved her. I shall love her until I die.
A marriage will not work unless there’s an understanding that there must be giving, selflessness, and forgiveness when the partner is not giving or selfless. We are both guilty at times of doing for self. But we have learned to forgive and stick together rather than get all snuffy and run off.
