Seventy-Three Years of Marriage
There’s a photo of George H.W. Bush, in a wheelchair, staring at the flower-covered coffin of his wife of 73 years.
Seventy-three years!
That’s amazing.
And what a life they had together.
They lost a child to leukemia. He fought in wars, became president, and their son, George W., also served as a president.
That’s a full life.
And of course, it’s the 73-years of togetherness that I’m focusing on.
There probably aren’t many surprises left in a relationship that went on that long, right?
Yet, as I know, having been married for awhile now, the marriage changes through the years. You can’t do the same things over and over because you change as people.
Life circumstances change as well.
Early on, the pages are blank. The endless possibilities of how it can all play out are there in front of you, and you have to settle in and figure out the roles.
Throw kids into the mix, and it gets complicated, but you have to hold on to what put you in each other’s lives in the first place.
And then there are the aggravations.
“You know what I hate?” My beautiful wife will say from time-to-time.
And I’ll either work on that particular character flaw, or I will do it on purpose if I feel like agitating.
I’m pretty routine and very consistent so I will often feel frustration when things change too much.
My wife’s advantage:
She knows this...
...so, when she wants to agitate...
She knows how to do it.
My grandparents had a similar run to the Bush’s.
Grandma actually helped Grandpa carry his books to school. Grandma was older and she showed him the ropes. He was 5 years old, she was 6.
They stayed together until death separated them.
Their relationship was fun to watch.
They’d often bicker, occasionally battle, and there were laughs as well.
The Love was never questioned.
“I’ll nevet break that record,” Trump noted when he saw that the Bushes had been together for 73 years.
No. He won’t.
Most people won’t.
I’d have to make it to 105 to pull it off.
I don’t want to imagine what I’d look like at 105 years of age.
Kathy may smother me with a pillow long before that as well.
It’s an amazing story, and Barbara Bush received a grand send-off. I’m hoping that her husband can spend the rest of his days free of the pain that the separation will bring...
...but how can he?
It’s gotta’ feel like losing a limb.
Seventy-three years!
That’s amazing.
And what a life they had together.
They lost a child to leukemia. He fought in wars, became president, and their son, George W., also served as a president.
That’s a full life.
And of course, it’s the 73-years of togetherness that I’m focusing on.
There probably aren’t many surprises left in a relationship that went on that long, right?
Yet, as I know, having been married for awhile now, the marriage changes through the years. You can’t do the same things over and over because you change as people.
Life circumstances change as well.
Early on, the pages are blank. The endless possibilities of how it can all play out are there in front of you, and you have to settle in and figure out the roles.
Throw kids into the mix, and it gets complicated, but you have to hold on to what put you in each other’s lives in the first place.
And then there are the aggravations.
“You know what I hate?” My beautiful wife will say from time-to-time.
And I’ll either work on that particular character flaw, or I will do it on purpose if I feel like agitating.
I’m pretty routine and very consistent so I will often feel frustration when things change too much.
My wife’s advantage:
She knows this...
...so, when she wants to agitate...
She knows how to do it.
My grandparents had a similar run to the Bush’s.
Grandma actually helped Grandpa carry his books to school. Grandma was older and she showed him the ropes. He was 5 years old, she was 6.
They stayed together until death separated them.
Their relationship was fun to watch.
They’d often bicker, occasionally battle, and there were laughs as well.
The Love was never questioned.
“I’ll nevet break that record,” Trump noted when he saw that the Bushes had been together for 73 years.
No. He won’t.
Most people won’t.
I’d have to make it to 105 to pull it off.
I don’t want to imagine what I’d look like at 105 years of age.
Kathy may smother me with a pillow long before that as well.
It’s an amazing story, and Barbara Bush received a grand send-off. I’m hoping that her husband can spend the rest of his days free of the pain that the separation will bring...
...but how can he?
It’s gotta’ feel like losing a limb.
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