In December my Grandma & Grandpa celebrated their 60th Wedding Anniversary. Wow! What an accomplishment and example to us all. If I calculated right....and if Dave and I live to be 89 & 88 - we can match them!
Here is a poem that my brother, Jamey,wrote on their 50th anniversary in 1999:
PUT ON YOUR PARTY HATS,
IT'S TIME FOR SOME CHEERS,
GRANDMA AND GRANPA HAVE MADE 50 YEARS!
A MIRACULOUS FEAT, VERY HARD TO DO,
IF I HAD LIVED WITH MARVIN, I'D HAVE BEEN GONE IN TWO,
ON THIS DAY OF DAYS, I AM STUCK HERE,
SO I'LL SHARE MY MEMORIES FROM OVER THE YEARS,
THE VERY FIRST MEMORY THAT POPS IN MY HEAD,
WAS THE 5:00AM WAKE UP, "TO GET OUT OF BED",
WE WERE TIRED AND GROUCHY, AND HUNGRY NOT TO MENTION,
BUT THE SMELL OF GRANDMAS BREAKFAST, CARRIED US OUT TO THE KITCHEN,
GRANDPA WAS ALREADY UP, ONLY GOD KNOWS HOW,
FEEDING THE PIGS, AND FEEDING THE COWS,
OUR BELLY'S FULL, IT WAS TIME TO GO,
TIME TO GET IN THE TRUCK, TIME TO GO GRAB A HOE,
WHEN WE GOT TO THE FIELD, IT WAS THE WORST THAT I'D SEEN,
GOSH, I HATE CUTTING WEEDS OUT OF BEANS!,
IT WAS SO HOT, YOU COULD NOT CATCH YOUR BREATH,
AND DRILL SERGEANT JORDAN WORKED US TO DEATH,
BUT JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT YOUR SPIRIT MIGHT BREAK,
HE PULLED UP THE TRUCK AND CALLED "WATER BREAK",
QUIT'IN’ TIME CAME NOT A MOMENT TO SOON,
FOR GRAMPS HAD TO BE AT THE TABLE, AT NOON,
WE COULDN'T WAIT TO GET THERE, BOW OUR HEADS AND PRAY,
CAUSE YOU COULD SMELL THE CHOW FROM A MILE AWAY,
IT WAS ALL HOMECOOKED, AND I LOVE GRANDMAS DINNER,
BUT IF I NEVER MET HER, I BET I'D BE THINNER,
ON THIS DAY OF DAYS, I HAVE MORE TO SAY, THE GREATEST TIMES WERE THE HOLIDAYS,
WE HAD EASTER, AND CHRISTMAS, AND EVEN HALLOWEEN,
WITH VERA, BEV, JUDY, AND SHELIA IRENE,
I LOVED THEM ALL, BUT THE BEST EVENT,
WAS THE EASTER EGG HUNT,
LADIES AND GENTS,
WE RAN AROUND, LIKE WE WERE RUNNING A RACE,
AND THE "WHITE EGG" WAS HID IN SOME SILLY PLACE,
IF YOU DIDN'T FIND IT YOU WERE SURE TO GET JEERED,
BUT IF YOU DID, YOU'D HAVE BRAGGING RIGHTS UNTIL THE NEXT YEAR,
AND HALLOWEEN, DRESSIN UP LIKE THE LONE RANGER, SUPERMAN, AND BATMAN,
AND GETTING A PUMPKIN EVERY YEAR FROM AUNT FLORENCEANN,
THOSE WERE THE BEST FROM FINISH TO START,
BUT CHRISTMAS HOLDS A SPECIAL PLACE IN MY HEART,
IT WAS FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND PRESENTS TO BOOT,
AND YOU KNOW GRANDMA AND GRANDPA WERE GOOD FOR SOME LOOT,
EVERY YEAR AS CHRISTMAS NEARED,
I THOUGHT MARVIN COULD BE SANTA IF HE JUST HAD A WHITE BEARD,
ON THIS DAY OF DAYS, I HAVE ON MORE STORY TO TELL,
WE WERE ON VACATION AND GRANPA STARTED TO YELL,
WE LEFT HIS BROTHERS HOUSE, AND THIS IS A HOOT,
BETWEEN HERE AND THERE HE HAS MISSPLACED HIS BOOTS,
HE RANTED AND RAVED THAT WAS ALMOST A SWEAR,
DAD BURNIT BETTY, BLAH BLAH, YOU FORGOT MY FOOTWEAR,
HE KEPT SAYING, "THEY WERE RIGHT BY THE CHAIR,
AND BLAMED EVERYONE EXCEPT HIM AND THE MAYOR,
THEN, I LOOKED DOWN, AND OH WHAT A TREAT,
FOR HIS BOOTS WERE PLACED ALL SNUG ON HIS FEET,
I CAN'T EVEN REMEMBER WHERE WE WENT, BUT IT WAS A BALL,
AND THE "LITTLE" THINGS ARE WHAT I RECALL,
THAT IS ALL AND WITHOUT FURTHER ADO,
I'D LIKE TO SAY HOW MUCH WE ALL LOVE YOU,
SOME PEOPLE TAKE MARRIAGE FOR GRANTED,
BUT AFTER 50 YEARS, YOU ALL ARE THE BEST ON THE PLANET.
IT'S TIME FOR SOME CHEERS,
GRANDMA AND GRANPA HAVE MADE 50 YEARS!
A MIRACULOUS FEAT, VERY HARD TO DO,
IF I HAD LIVED WITH MARVIN, I'D HAVE BEEN GONE IN TWO,
ON THIS DAY OF DAYS, I AM STUCK HERE,
SO I'LL SHARE MY MEMORIES FROM OVER THE YEARS,
THE VERY FIRST MEMORY THAT POPS IN MY HEAD,
WAS THE 5:00AM WAKE UP, "TO GET OUT OF BED",
WE WERE TIRED AND GROUCHY, AND HUNGRY NOT TO MENTION,
BUT THE SMELL OF GRANDMAS BREAKFAST, CARRIED US OUT TO THE KITCHEN,
GRANDPA WAS ALREADY UP, ONLY GOD KNOWS HOW,
FEEDING THE PIGS, AND FEEDING THE COWS,
OUR BELLY'S FULL, IT WAS TIME TO GO,
TIME TO GET IN THE TRUCK, TIME TO GO GRAB A HOE,
WHEN WE GOT TO THE FIELD, IT WAS THE WORST THAT I'D SEEN,
GOSH, I HATE CUTTING WEEDS OUT OF BEANS!,
IT WAS SO HOT, YOU COULD NOT CATCH YOUR BREATH,
AND DRILL SERGEANT JORDAN WORKED US TO DEATH,
BUT JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT YOUR SPIRIT MIGHT BREAK,
HE PULLED UP THE TRUCK AND CALLED "WATER BREAK",
QUIT'IN’ TIME CAME NOT A MOMENT TO SOON,
FOR GRAMPS HAD TO BE AT THE TABLE, AT NOON,
WE COULDN'T WAIT TO GET THERE, BOW OUR HEADS AND PRAY,
CAUSE YOU COULD SMELL THE CHOW FROM A MILE AWAY,
IT WAS ALL HOMECOOKED, AND I LOVE GRANDMAS DINNER,
BUT IF I NEVER MET HER, I BET I'D BE THINNER,
ON THIS DAY OF DAYS, I HAVE MORE TO SAY, THE GREATEST TIMES WERE THE HOLIDAYS,
WE HAD EASTER, AND CHRISTMAS, AND EVEN HALLOWEEN,
WITH VERA, BEV, JUDY, AND SHELIA IRENE,
I LOVED THEM ALL, BUT THE BEST EVENT,
WAS THE EASTER EGG HUNT,
LADIES AND GENTS,
WE RAN AROUND, LIKE WE WERE RUNNING A RACE,
AND THE "WHITE EGG" WAS HID IN SOME SILLY PLACE,
IF YOU DIDN'T FIND IT YOU WERE SURE TO GET JEERED,
BUT IF YOU DID, YOU'D HAVE BRAGGING RIGHTS UNTIL THE NEXT YEAR,
AND HALLOWEEN, DRESSIN UP LIKE THE LONE RANGER, SUPERMAN, AND BATMAN,
AND GETTING A PUMPKIN EVERY YEAR FROM AUNT FLORENCEANN,
THOSE WERE THE BEST FROM FINISH TO START,
BUT CHRISTMAS HOLDS A SPECIAL PLACE IN MY HEART,
IT WAS FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND PRESENTS TO BOOT,
AND YOU KNOW GRANDMA AND GRANDPA WERE GOOD FOR SOME LOOT,
EVERY YEAR AS CHRISTMAS NEARED,
I THOUGHT MARVIN COULD BE SANTA IF HE JUST HAD A WHITE BEARD,
ON THIS DAY OF DAYS, I HAVE ON MORE STORY TO TELL,
WE WERE ON VACATION AND GRANPA STARTED TO YELL,
WE LEFT HIS BROTHERS HOUSE, AND THIS IS A HOOT,
BETWEEN HERE AND THERE HE HAS MISSPLACED HIS BOOTS,
HE RANTED AND RAVED THAT WAS ALMOST A SWEAR,
DAD BURNIT BETTY, BLAH BLAH, YOU FORGOT MY FOOTWEAR,
HE KEPT SAYING, "THEY WERE RIGHT BY THE CHAIR,
AND BLAMED EVERYONE EXCEPT HIM AND THE MAYOR,
THEN, I LOOKED DOWN, AND OH WHAT A TREAT,
FOR HIS BOOTS WERE PLACED ALL SNUG ON HIS FEET,
I CAN'T EVEN REMEMBER WHERE WE WENT, BUT IT WAS A BALL,
AND THE "LITTLE" THINGS ARE WHAT I RECALL,
THAT IS ALL AND WITHOUT FURTHER ADO,
I'D LIKE TO SAY HOW MUCH WE ALL LOVE YOU,
SOME PEOPLE TAKE MARRIAGE FOR GRANTED,
BUT AFTER 50 YEARS, YOU ALL ARE THE BEST ON THE PLANET.
