Mom and Dad's Wedding Anniversary

 Today (Oct 30) would've been Mom and Dad's 67th wedding anniversary.  Lots of couple celebrate that many years of marriage now.  I remember when Mom wanted to plan a 25th wedding anniversary party in 1970 because, "Dad might not live long enough to celebrate our 50th."  He did and there you have it.

Every once in awhile I read something that makes me wonder if the message is not some kind of divine intervention.  I try to read the scripture readings every day and then a reflection published in Living Faith - a booklet of Catholic devotions.  You can imagine my surprise to read this reflection on Mom and Dad's wedding anniversary....

DAILY DEVOTIONS Oct 30 'Learning to Love' Husbands, love your wives... [Wives,] respect [your] husband. - Ephesians 5:25, 33 Any married person knows that loving and respecting your spouse is not always easy. We don't always feel loving or loved, lovable or worthy of respect. Relationship is difficult because we ourselves are such a mix of beauty and goodness on the one hand, selfishness and sinfulness on the other. Learning how to give and receive love and respect is one of the delights and challenges of marriage--and of human life in general. Married or not, it's our Christian duty and joy to become loving and loved. But we must work this out here on earth, amidst conflict and pain and temptation, falling and getting up again, asking and giving forgiveness along the way. It would be impossible if we were trying to create love. It's possible because Love created us. Throughout our lives, it woos and shapes us. As St. Paul tells us, loving this way means becoming like Christ. Thank you, Lord, for trusting that we can learn to love as you do. - Mary Marrocco

Mom and Dad must've had a typical German-style marriage - very little outward affection, lots of arguing, work above all else, but days beginning and ending with prayer.  I like everything Mary Marrocco said in her reflection.  The last time we sisters were together we talked about the ways Mom and Dad showed love to us and how that helped shape and form us.  I swore to myself that I would not yell at my husband and as a result, feared sharing most things that bothered me.  Well that's not good either.  I guess the real close moment, during my prayer time, was the realization that Mom and Dad really loved each other or they would not have brought ten children into the world, supported and encouraged us, cooked and cleaned for us and prayed every day for us.   And, they stood beside each other for  almost 58 years.  Maybe they were wise enough to know that they could not create love, because LOVE created them.

I pray for all my married friends often because I know how challenging that relationship can be.  And, today, I hope those that read this will gain some wisdom and strength from the ONE who created love for us all.