Sixty Years Together

My wife and I recently celebrated our 60th wedding anniversary.  Many of the friends who celebrated the wedding with us are no longer around.  Of course, older family members are gone, two of my five groomsmen are no longer with us, and likewise two of Joanne’s five brides maids have already departed this earth. We’ve been attending a lot of funerals lately. We’ve been together for 720 months, 3130 weeks, 21,913 days. The Office of National Statistics shows that only  16% of marriages last for 60 years. With those low percentages, there are not a lot of Hallmark Anniversary cards on  the shelves for the 60th anniversary. Even fewer have good messages inside.  Consider these six that do:

• “Sixty years of love, woven together in a tapestry of memories, each thread shimmering with its own story.”
• “60 years together, they’ve laughed in the rain, danced in the sunshine, and loved through it all. That’s not just marriage; it’s magic.” Well maybe, not danced.
• “Sixty years of marriage? That deserves a standing ovation! Here’s to the couple who still sets the bar sky-high!”
• “Cheers to 60 years of proving that true love isn’t just a fairytale. You are legends in your own love story.”
• “In a world where things come and go, your 60 years of love stand monumental. Cheers to an enduring legacy.”
• ‘60 years in, and they still make forever look easy.”

So, is there a secret to making it sixty years?  Probably several, but the one I remember the most was what Joanne’s grandfather said to us as he came through the reception line following our ceremony.  All he said was, “Don’t ever go to bed mad at each other.”  I learned later that he was referring to Ephesians 4:26, “Do not let the sun go down on your wrath.” After sixty years together, we pass that advice on to you.