60 Years. 21,915 days. No matter how you slice it, it’s a milestone when it comes to being married that long. And today, that’s the celebration for my parents, Roger and Carmen. 60 years ago they tied the knot, expecting so little and so much at the same time….the world was their oyster.
I wonder what was going through their minds when they were walking down that aisle? Relief, I’m sure, was one of the emotions. I know I felt that when Anne and I made the same walk in the same church 37 years later. Relief, an overwhelming sense of joy, and somewhere in the subconscious….clouds of doubt. Am I doing the right thing, am I doing this too soon, am I ready?
I would say that after 60 years, the answers are obvious. 5 children later, untold amounts of travel, picking up stakes and moving, adventure, love, laughs, tears, arguments, more laughs, departures, reunions, family squabbles, reconciliation, heartbreak, joy by the truckloads, and now, aging and health issues which have brought the family closer. If it wasn’t for their choice to bond as one, my family would not be here to discuss any of this. So, their courage and determination set all of this in motion.
12 Grandchildren. 6 Great-grandchildren. A legacy that will live on for many more years. All borne from a love that would withstand the sands of time and weather the obstacles the life has a way of throwing at us.
My parents had to endure and move on past the passing of my brother Bob. That event alone was something I thought would take them down. They toughed it out though. It was a time that brought us together, all but one sibling. We call ourselves the ‘Coalition of the Willing’, casting aside our differences for the greater good. And none too soon. In the short time since this devastating event, their health has faltered. My mom is in klong-term care, and my father lives with my sister Barb. There isn’t a day that passes where I don’t thank the heavens that we are lucky enough to have people and places to care for our parents. I lament at times our misfortune, then am raised up by the fact that it could be SO much worse. That we have this opportunity to celebrate their union with both parents here is a miracle. And we’ll take it.
To my mother, Carmen: thank you for being the supportive and loving mother you were. Thank you for being the awesome person you are to all the people in your life, for being kind and giving to so many, to being an example to us all. Thanks for being so tough through all your countless medical procedures, still able to rise above and laugh, although I know that lately this has become so very hard for you. Thank you for being an awesome supportive grandmother for my children, a great mother-in-law for Anne, and most of all a supportive mom for me in the many twists and turns that life hase taken us through.
For my father, Roger: our rock. My work-mate for almost 30 years. My supporter. My boss. My co-worker. My mentor. The man who showed me how to be a father. You did so much, sacrificed everything to keep your family together. Dreamed big. Lived well. Did Florida like you always hoped and dreamed to do. Kind and gentle. An awesome grandfather for my children. Philosophical, expecially when Bob passed. There is not a day that passes that I am not grateful for all that you have done for me and my family.
Through it all, you two have been truly awesome parents. You did the very best you could. When money was tight, you found a way to get us what we needed. We wanted for nothing. You did without so we could have what it took. You brought us to Europe. You moved us places we never would have seen otherwise. We owe you so much.
Throughout the years, through the wicker-weaving that is life, you have created a family that has holes in it but still holds strong and true. Can there ever be a better legacy? Not to me.
Love you, mom and dad. Thanks for making me what I am today.
Bill's Musings 