Friday, December 14, 2012

#371 Seeing Your Grandparents Hold Hands

{Photo courtesy of 1000awesomethings.com}
I visited my grandparent’s the other day.  It is always a treat when the conversation goes beyond the superficial to deeper and more personal subjects.  I love hearing my grandpa talk about the old days.  Both of them have lived through, possibly, the most changes the world has ever seen within one single century.  They were watching when the first man stepped on the moon.  They heard Martin Luther King give his speech.  They read about the birth of the first test tube baby.  They lived with the effects of the Great Depression and suffered through hardships I can’t even imagine.  Where were they when Pearl Harbor was attacked?  What were they doing when the U.S. dropped the bomb? When did they find out about the Holocaust?  They saw the world shrink with the explosion of the mass media, information technology, and communication devises.  Transportation, television, medicine, frozen foods…the list of inventions goes on and on.  It is incredible to hear how all those changes affected their lives in a personal way.  I could spend hours listening to their stories.

My grandma and grandpa are going to celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary this spring.  (This will be their 60th Christmas spent together!)  I think they are an amazing example to all their children and grandchildren.  I was telling my grandpa that we should celebrate their great accomplishment.
“That is so great that you have been together for these 60 years.” I said, “Wow, 60 years…”
My grandpa humbly replied, “Well, we’re still working at it.”

Caught speechless again…

I know why they are still together.  They never stopped working at it.  Even after 60 years, they are still choosing to love each other every day.  There is no such thing as cruise control in marriage.

What a great lesson.
 
 
 
 

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