Today we celebrated some dear friends' 40th wedding anniversary at a surprise luncheon at Ditka's in Oak Brook. Their two sons threw this celebration for them. Kathy and Dan (photo is of them in Nashville where we surprised Dan for his 60th birthday last April) were so overwhelmed that they both cried. As I see it, this celebration merits some recognition, and some reflection. Their sons should be proud of the way this all came together, and as they said in a toast to their parents, "...we are so happy that two guys could pull this off!" While it received some laughter from the guests, I think it was the sweetest comment. They weren't sure how to go about this, but each son wanted to celebrate their parents' anniversary in a way they would always remember, and they DID pull it off.
When reflecting on the longevity of their marriage I couldn't help but reflect on my own marriage, which is 36.5 years in the making. I was thinking about how quickly this time has flown and it made me sad in my happiness. Does that make sense? While I sit in the comfort of a wonderful marriage, to a wonderful guy, I think about the marriages that haven't quite been like ours. When I watched Dan look into Kathy's eyes today they were so full of love that it made me teary eyed. I just don't see that in the eyes of young marrieds today. I see it in Artie's eyes after nearly 41 years since we first became a couple. I saw it in my grandparents' eyes, and my parents' eyes. I don't see it when I look around at young couples today. That makes me sad. Is life just too fast-paced, materialistic, "all about me", that young people don't feel the deep and comforting love that Artie and I do, and that so many of our friends do?
I am so thankful for the friends we have in our lives - friends who share our values, like what we like, are fun, and so caring. We are so lucky to have people with whom to share our happiness and sadness. We have friends we can laugh with and cry with. In my lifetime it seems that I have had an abnormal amount of close friends move away. From the time I was in kindergarten (Renee Ringstead) up to the present (most recently Don and Lynn) it seems that whenever I made close friends they would move away. I have learned from this that God sends people to you when you least expect it. Yes, I have cried over those friends who have moved away, but I have laughed twice as much with those who are still part of my life. Today I laughed (and cried) with friends whom we love very much. Happy 40th Anniversary, Kathy and Dan. May your love lights continue to shine for the rest of your lives together.
No comments:
Post a Comment