64 years together is quite a feat

Next week, my parents will celebrate their 64th wedding anniversary. That seems like quite a feat these days.

Of course, people of my parents’ generation weren’t so quick to end marriages at the first sign of trouble.

My folks saw some lean years. They have endured many trials in their 60 plus years together.

Now, my father is my mother’s caregiver. I’m sure when he was a 16-year-old groom marrying his 18-year-old bride on an elopement to Reno, Nev., it never occurred to him that he would one day be caring for her on the level that he is now.

We all make a commitment when we get married. Sometime that commitment means more than what we anticipated.

But, as he has to progressively take care of more and more of her needs, my father continues to show my mother that he loves her. My sister and I notice that he still teases her a little, still holds her hand, and still tells her he loves her.

I’m thinking if you can find a person that will hold on to you for that many years, and continue to care that deeply about you, it must be worth the effort.

My parents were little more than children when they ran away to Reno and got married so many years ago.

They have raised their children and a number of younger relatives as well. They have shared; they have acted as mentors, teachers and advisors. They have worked hard, and they have gained respect.

As I grow older myself, I always hope that I can be a person much like my parents have been.

I don’t know if I will ever achieve that goal, but I think it is worth a shot to try.

I have a few heroes in my life, and I would say my parents are pretty close to the top of the list.

You don’t have to accomplish heroic things to be hero. You just have to live a life that is decent and good. You just have to be the kind of person others admire and respect. If you bend to help a child, fight to protect the rights of yourself and others and all the while hold on to your own self-respect and dignity, you just might be a hero to someone.

Just a thought…

Kathy Craigo can be reached at kcraigo66@hotmail.com