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Blogs by Jean Sheldon
Always 6/25/2007 1:02:22 PM
This week is my parent’s sixtieth wedding anniversary and the song ‘Always’ is their song. They moved out here to New Mexico last summer, but I won’t be celebrating with them. They’re taking an Alaskan Cruise. I had only a few fleeting moments of jealousy, but mom straightened me out. “You weren’t there sixty years ago.” She’s right. I wasn’t even a spark, as they say. The truth is I couldn’t be more delighted for them. They’ve earned it.
I still marvel at the fact that they both worked while raising four kids, and still managed to load us all into the station wagon to camp over a large percentage of the country. I don’t know what it takes to make a relationship last that long. My maternal grandparents celebrated their seventieth anniversary and received a letter from then president, Ronald Reagan, congratulating them. I’m not expecting any presidential letters for lasting relationships.
As I look back at my youth, our home and the multiple relationships and family dynamics, I try to see how they survived. They fought, though not that often. My three brothers and I managed to find our share of trouble. Okay, I might have found a little more than my share. I spent an extraordinary amount of time ‘grounded’ because my mouth lacked a shut off valve.
I think we all went through periods of anger, hurt, and disappointment, even after only mom and dad remained in the house. Their staying power changed the way I look back at things. It is entirely possible, that teenage girl that had all the answers, wasn’t quite as smart as she thought. As I look at my parents now, I realize they might have made some sense. I’m grateful I had a chance to learn that, even if they did go on an Alaskan Cruise without me.
