Mom and Dad

Tomorrow I will be taking my parents out to celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary.

45 YEARS!!!! How cool is that?

Now, I've been around for 32 years, so I've seen my parents live their life as husband and wife. Is it a perfect marriage? NO! But, there is no such thing. Since a marriage is made up of two people, and since no person is perfect, then a marriage cannot be. But that's ok. I think it is the imperfections that make it most personal.

If there is one thing I can tell you I've learned from my mom and dad (there are A LOT of things, but they won't all fit on this blog) its what true love is in a marriage. I wish I could tell you that my dad is the most romantic man in the world, or that my mom is the kind of woman who appreciates romance, flowers, jewelry, and candy. But I've never really seen them that way. They are an old school Hispanic couple who rarely show their romantic side. I'm sure they have had their romantic moments. I can think back on some times when my dad would say sweet things about my mom, or embarrass her by kissing her in public.. haha

But when I think of their marriage, romance is not the first thing that comes to mind. Now, I have made a promise that when I get married I will try my hardest to always be romantic. I hope that flowers, cards, and gifts will always be a part of my wife's life. But I also know that a marriage is not built on romantic love. It is built on TRUE, REAL love. When times are bad, or when someone is upset, it's not romantic love that helps to solve the problem... it's true love. It is commitment. It is hard work. My mom and dad are HARD workers. I've only met a few other people in my life that have similar work ethic as my mom and dad. If it's their job, if it's their kids, or if it's their marriage... they work hard to make it happen.

I praise God that I never had to worry about not having a place to live, food to eat, or having clothes on my back. My parents worked hard to provide for their family. I was also very lucky that in high school, I could focus completely on school, sports, band, student government, one act play, etc... because my mom and dad worked so hard so their kids wouldn't have to have a job to help support the family. And the best thing in my life was that as a kid, and as a teenager, and now as an adult, I never had to worry about my parents ever getting a divorce. My parents worked hard to make sure their marriage worked. They were committed. FOR LIFE! They supported each other. They worked together to raise their children.

I feel so bad for children who have to ask, "why isn't daddy coming home." I couldn't imagine what that would be like. I grew up in a happy home.

I know that a single parent can still provide a happy home. But, I couldn't imagine living without both a mom and a dad at home... showing me an example of what commitment is. An example of how to care for someone else. An example of how to be faithful. Two people who truly meant, "till death do us part." They taught me the importance of faith.

The reason my mom and dad have such a strong marriage is because they are both servants of Jesus Christ. God is the center of our family. If it was up to my mom and dad on their own, then there is a big chance that they would be just another statistic in the divorce category. But because of our savior and His great wisdom, we are celebrating a great day tomorrow. 45 years of marriage. I guess that might be rare this day and age.... But it's something I knew we would one day celebrate.