June 8, 2007

65 Years

Sometimes people ask me where I get my ideas. I don’t have to think too hard about where my inspiration for writing about long-lasting, loving relationships comes from. This fall, my grandparents will have been married for 65 years.

65 years! Can you believe that? In a few weeks my family as well as my extended family of aunts, uncles, and cousins will travel from all parts of the country and gather in Atlanta. While there, we’ll celebrate my cousin’s wedding and my grandparent’s 65th wedding anniversary.

I am looking forward to my cousin’s wedding, but I am also excited about seeing my grandparents. They’re 88 years old now, and I worry that there may not be many more occasions where we’ll be able to meet and talk.

My grandmother is a natural storyteller. I love listening to her talk about growing up and the challenges young women faced in the 1930s and 1940s. She was truly one of the early feminists. She wanted to be a doctor and stuck it out in medical school, even though she faced unfair treatment from male professors who didn’t think women should be doctors.

My grandfather is a veteran of World War II. He was in the Navy and was stationed in Florida for part of his tour of duty.

The best thing about seeing my grandparents together is watching how they take care of each other. My grandpa helps my grandma zip up the back of her dress. My grandmother helps my grandfather navigate the highway (yes, they still drive! My grandfather drove from Michigan to Texas for my wedding last year). These two people obviously still love one another, even after all these years.

So who’s your inspiration for a lasting love affair?

  7 Responses to “65 Years”

1. On June 8th, 2007 at 7:58 am
   AndreaW Says:
   

   Oh wow, Shana! What an awesome couple! Congrats and happy anniversary to them.

   My grandparents would have been married 64 years in February (my grandmother passed away 3 years ago). My grandfather is 87 and also a WWII veteran. Do your grandparents live here in Atlanta? I wonder if my grandfather knows your grandfather. Wouldn’t that be a coincidence?!?! LOL!

2. On June 8th, 2007 at 8:31 am
   Shana Says:
   

   My grandparents live in Michigan, Andrea, so they probably don’t know your grandfather. OTOH, my grandparents seem to know a lot of people, so you never know!

3. On June 8th, 2007 at 9:32 am
   Robyn DeHart Says:
   

   My parents are my inspiration. They’ve been married for 46 years now, ever since my mother was 17 and they’re still going strong.

4. On June 8th, 2007 at 12:17 pm
   ladydawgfan Says:
   

   My parents have been married for 49 years and are also still going strong. They truly amaze me. They also passed their marital longevity along to their children. My brother and his wife have been married for 28 years and are as much in love today as the day they married. My sister and her husband have been married for 18 years and are also as close as they were as newlyweds.

   In this day and age, when it seems as though everything is thrown away quickly if it breaks too soon, including many marriages, it is always inspirational to see marriages like those of your grandparents and my parents and siblings stand the tests of time and ravages of everyday stresses and strains. I wish them many more happy years together. And Shana, since you are relatively a newlywed yourself, may you and USF also celebrate many happy years together as your grandparents have done.

5. On June 8th, 2007 at 2:18 pm
   Shana Says:
   

   Thanks, ladydawgfan, that’s the plan.

6. On June 8th, 2007 at 6:00 pm
   Rainy Says:
   

   Shana,
   How lucky to have both grandparents who are still married and active at 88. What a blessing!
   My inspiration are my parents who will be married 64 years this August (Mom’s 84, Dad’s 85).
   My father is in a rehab now, suffering in body and in mind with Altzeimer’s. Although he still remembers every one in the immediate family, just not what happened five minutes ago.
   My mother is tiring but visits him every day, stroking his still all chestnut brown hair. She’s hoping every day that he can come home even though it probably won’t be for long and will be hard for her. It’s “through sickness and health” come real as I watch how she never leaves his side.
   You’re right, ladydawgfan, marriage is so easily thrown out when it gets difficult. But watching the unselfish love of my mother is a true inspiration.

7. On June 8th, 2007 at 7:01 pm
   Margo Maguire Says:
   

   Awesome couple, Shane - congratulations to them! It’s amazing how the years slide by. Sometimes I feel as though my husband and I just met. But we’ll celebrate our 26th anniversary this summer.

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