Friday, October 31, 2008

A Marriage Made in Heaven ...

The year was 1943, and America was in the midst of World War II. Times were tough and the future uncertain, to say the least.

He was a handsome young sailor, barely 19 years old, and she was his pretty little 17-year-old high school sweetheart. They were deeply and madly in love ... and nothing would do but that they get married.

Halloween fell on a Sunday that year, and at 9:30 a.m., between Sunday School and church, they were married at the First Methodist Church in Monroe, Louisiana. And from that day forward, they have honored and fulfilled their wedding vows by devoting their lives to each other, for better, for worse ... for richer, for poorer ... and in sickness and in health.

Today my parents are celebrating their 65th Wedding Anniversary, and are still just as deeply in love as they were that Sunday morning in 1943, if not more so. Of course, in 65 years of marriage there were some hard times ... and some sad times ... but their unwavering faith in God and their abiding love for each other gave them the strength to endure them.

My mother's favorite Bible verse is Corinthians 1:13:7, and I think it exemplifies their love and the life they have shared together:

Love bears all things,
Believes all things,
Hopes all things,
Endures all things.

It is difficult for me to put into words how truly blessed I feel to have these two sweet people for parents. They have been an inspiration to me and my family throughout our lives, and I hope they know how much we all love and admire them.


17 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi Janie,
There you go making me tear up again. Thank goodness I haven't put on my makeup yet! LOL

Happy Anniversary to your parents! 65 years is something to be proud of!

Diane

southerninspiration said...

Oh, what a joy for you to have that legacy! That is sooo cool!
Happy 65th to your sweet mamma and daddy!
Suzanne

Salmagundi said...

What a wonderful tribute to your parents! 65 years can only be reached with love and devotion. How blessed you and they are. Congratulations to them. Sally

Jill said...

Congratulations to your mom and dad and best wishes for many more wonderful years together!

Hope you enjoy a Bootiful Halloween!

~Jill

Bo said...

Congratulations to your parents on 65 loving years together...this was a beautifully written tribute.
;-) Bo

Anonymous said...

What a sweet daughter you are!!

Happy Anniversary to your parents.

Kathy :)

Anonymous said...

Hi Janie! Wish your parents a Happy 65th for me!!!! and thank them for giving us you too!!!! I hope their day is fantastic! Best Wishes - Sincerely, Jeannette

Tracey said...

WOW!! Happy Anniversary to your parents. That sure is something special....65 years!!!

nikkicrumpet said...

What a lovely tribute to your precious mom and dad! HAPPY 65TH

The Quintessential Magpie said...

A very Happy Anniversary to your parents, Janie. This post was so sweet it made me want to cry (the good kind of cry). They are an inspiration to the rest of us out there. Our marriage is thirty years and counting, and to think they have another thirty-five years on top of that. Absolutely PHENOMENAL! :-)

Thank you for sharing your parents joy and your love for them. Such a lovely thing to wake up to this morning.

XO,

Sheila

Belle (from Life of a...) said...

Congratulations and Best Wishes...I hope that they had a wonderful day!

Jon said...

Janie, such a beautiful and touching tribute to your parents on their 65th anniversary! It is a treat to sneak back online to post a few things and to visit your lovely blog once again. (Don't tell my doctor I cheated as I am supposed to avoid reading and NOT strain my eyes working on the computer....shoot...I'd just as soon be 6 feet under after all this boredom!) Thanks for the kind words and best wishes you left on my blog...so thoughtful of you.

Jon at Mississippi Garden on 11-1-08

Anonymous said...

Congratulations, to your wonderful parents, Janie! This is a sweet sweet post, honoring their 65 years together!

Picket said...

Beautiful post girl....Happy Anniversary to your sweet parents!!!

StitchinByTheLake said...

Congratulations! What a tribute to relying on God to keep together what He joined. My parents were married 63 years when they left this earth. The great example our parents set for us is a gift. blessings, marlene

bj said...

Please tell them Happy Anniversary for me, too....
love,bj

Cottage Rose said...

What a lovely way to honor your Momma and Daddy on their Wedding day. How blessed they must feel to have you as a daughter. I just loved their love story. Please pass on a Happy 65th from me..

Hugs
Alaura