They were told their marriage wouldn’t last. They were too old and set in their ways. He was twenty-six. She was twenty-three. Old in the eyes of some, but to others they were still wet behind the ears. Heeding no one’s advice, they tied the knot in front of close family in her parents’ living room. Her father, who said he would never give away his daughters, escorted her down the stairs to the waiting groom. She took the young man’s hand and pledged her life to his. With rings on their fingers, they were bound by law, love and life.

Oh. They didn’t wait long to start their family. Some thought they rushed into parenthood, but when the stars align there’s no going back. And after fifteen years of marriage, they were a family of nine. Oh yes. People would stop and count to see how many kids were in the station wagon. No. They weren’t Catholic. And no. Minivans weren’t invented yet.

Theirs was a solid marriage built on their love for God and each other. Early in their marriage, they committed their lives and marriage to God and never looked back. They were faithful church attenders, tithers, and Bible readers. They were also faithful to each other.

There was never any discussion about divorce or separation. Theirs was a love that would last through the ages of time. They laughed and joked. They cried and mourned. Theirs was a steadfast commitment. Oh. Someone once pulled a prank and called the house phone suggesting he was involved with another woman. He laughed it off. She did not. Their love was not in the market for competition.

As they celebrated their golden anniversary, she said she thought only old people were married for fifty years. She still saw herself as a young woman, but her mind and body were betraying her. Little did she know that in ten short years, she would walk the streets of gold and meet her Savior face to face. Days later, he would join his wife in the city eternal.

They aged. Their minds and memories faded. At times, she would forget he was her husband. He never forgot. Near the end, he commented that she was the most precious woman in the world. And as he was placed on hospice, he said he would wait for her. When asked if he got tired of waiting, he said no, not for her. And wait he did. She passed unexpectedly in her sleep, and he breathed his last breath eleven days later.

Their final caregivers saw a lasting love and commitment between the two. And they held a deep admiration for this couple who missed their sixty year anniversary by less than ninety days. True love and commitment are an example we all should strive for in our marriages. Through thick and thin. In sickness and in health. For richer or for poorer. Till death do us part. That was the commitment they had made years earlier, and that commitment never faded. That commitment was never questioned.

When I think of the memories I most cherish, I think of my parents and their love for each other. Their marriage wasn’t perfect, but it was centered on their love of God and each other and their family.