Have a Blessed Day! RIP Charlie Kirk and may his family be blessed!
In the Spring of 1975, when I asked my then-girlfriend of several years, who is now my wife of almost 50 years, if she would marry me. We were young, both working, and had saved some money in the bank, nothing earth-shattering by today’s standards, but we knew then, as we still know now, that we wanted to be together. We didn’t have much, but we both were very sensible, more mature than most our age, and no matter what we faced, as long as it was together, our faith and love for each other would see us through.
We got married, saved the money in a bank account rather than spend it on a week or so honeymoon and moved into an apartment where we had the first of our four children. We were tested right away at only being 19 at the time when the week after we were married, I was put on night work where I would spend the next 5 years of my 42 year career with Acme markets. Needless to say she wasn’t happy as a newlywed who would spend nights alone and would soon be pregnant. She didn’t complain much and was more worried for me as my night work shift then was at our store at 43rd and Locust, Philadelphia, PA.
We did, however, manage to buy our first house at the age of 21, where we would live, have three more children, and make many friends, some of whom have passed over the years, but we are still friends with today. Over our 14-plus years, we would often spend evenings sitting on the porch, as most of us had kids and were in the same boat. We would hold block parties, Halloween hayride outings, and Easter Egg hunts for the kids, making it a truly memorable time in our lives. My wife was able to stay home until the youngest of our four children started kindergarten and then transitioned to daycare.
We have managed very well over the years, especially when my wife started working. After taking some college courses, she did quite well in her job. With her second income added to my union job and benefits, we have been in a good financial position. We always saved money in our Christmas and Vacation Club accounts, which allowed us to take the kids to the shore and spend quality time together while pursuing our interests. I coach football and baseball, and I attended soccer and track meets. Meanwhile, Nancy has been busy sewing and selling items at local flea markets. She also took on side work for two neighbors—one who owned a dry-cleaning business and the other who worked for an interior decorator.
Point to Ponder: A long-term marriage requires dedication, commitment, honesty, and trust as its fundamental building blocks. However, even more importantly, it involves sacrifice and faith. When someone asks what marriage is like, I find that the best way to explain it is by comparing it to an EKG reading. Over a lifetime spent together, there will inevitably be ups and downs, as well as peaks and valleys. Ultimately, it forms a continuous line that represents two hearts, and that line is only broken when the journey comes to an end or when the connection is severed.
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