60 Years of Love, Memories and Advice
Life in Love //
As we celebrated MiMi and Grandpa’s 60 years of marriage, Ryan’s whole family gathered for an evening of celebration! We gathered around the table with open ears and curious hearts as Mimi and Grandpa shared their favorite stories.
From across the table, Uncle Gary asked, “Wayne, tell us about your most memorable moment during your 60 years together.” Grandpa didn’t skip a beat when we said, “coming back from Alaska.” Thirty days after MiMi and Grandpa were married, Grandpa left for service during the Korean War. He was away for 15 months working on radio control and talking in morse code. I can only imagine how long those 15 months seemed in their hearts! When Grandpa came home, MiMi met him in at the airport. As he came off the plane, MiMi nervously and anxiously awaited the moment they would see each other again! Hiding behind the 180 other men… they finally found each other! That moment 58 ½ years ago, created a memory that is so fresh in their minds they told the story like it was yesterday!
The stories continued… and as I sat there listening to the words of wisdom that flowed from their years of experience, I couldn’t wait to hear more. I wanted to soak in every word so that we would never forget the history of Ryan’s family. I wanted to learn from their 60 years of experience and take in every piece of advice they shared! Grandpa said… “tell him (Ryan) to listen to you.” ;) With Ryan sitting right next to me, I know I will never have to repeat that! ;)
MiMi reminded us of the importance of communication and making sure that we talk about things when they are on our mind. She said that didn’t always happen for them, but that is one piece of advice she learned along the way!
Sixty years! What a blessing! And what a blessing to have the whole family together to celebrate MiMi and Grandpa… where it all began! As Mimi said, “I am too young to be getting this old!” we were reminded that you can never be too young to soak in these moments and celebrate those years of experience that will one day make us “old.” We can only dream of the day, 54 years from now, when Ryan and I are sitting around the table with our whole family by our side, celebrating our 60 years of marriage, sharing the stories of memories we are making today. What an AMAZING thought.