Mum, one of 17 brothers and sisters decided she had had enough so asked a young boy around her age she knew from her local yet remote area if he would marry her so she could leave her family and milking cow’s every-day. He agreed so started the courting process and finally asking her parents for her hand in marriage.
This young man my Father a very hard worker who at the time worked for a timber felling company in the middle of no-where agreed to marry my mother who nervously asked her parents while sitting in a small row boat. As my Father recalled he was extremely scared of her parents as my mother fearlessly coaxed him along.
They were both married at a local post office in the town their first house was a mere tiny shack with four corrigated iron walls in the bush where my Father worked.
His fondest memories were my Mother’s keen ability as a gardener and having the best garden for miles around and coming home to the biggest, freshest vegetables everyday straight from their small garden.
Divorce was never an issue with my Parents, they had their fair share of relationships woes through-out their 63 year marriage though, what would life be without it.
There were many times of confrontation, separation and infidelity yet to understand someone else in your life really is to understand yourself first. This can take many years to confront your own past and fears of not being satisfied with someone or something in the relationship where you come to a point where you both look at each other and say “I LOVE YOU” after being together for a long time.
My Father gave me an important message many years ago he said there were three things to say to your wife and three little words that would melt their hearts. Those things were;
1. I’m Sorry
2. Please Forgive Me
3. I Love You
I couldn’t agree with him more. Life really is this simple if we can all take a leaf out of my Parents book of life...
My Father is a real romantic by the way and I only found that out at their 60th wedding anniversary whereby he wrote my Mother a heart-felt note to which he read out to everyone needless to say there was not a dry eye in the crowd. At the end of the day I approached my Father to chat to him and said I believed with all my heart they would reach to their 70th Wedding Anniversary, he said to me “You think so” I said YES without a doubt.
My Mum has amazing inner strength she was the strict yet caring mother who made sure our home was clean with a decent meal on the table. She has been active her whole life along with my Dad and had 2 strokes last year to which she amazingly recovered due to her inner strength of not giving up on life. At 84 years old she has not changed much, she told me the other day when she had the stroke which left her motionless and emotional, she hated being like that and was determined to get her life back, to which she has.
My parents have never forgotten their humble beginnings along with many years of life experience and a journey of two people through longevity, all relationship adversity, tears, heartache and love. They have both come out in their eyes as loving each other even more than ever before.
Through their own faith and sticking it out attitude I watch the gentle humour with fascination and love from their little jibes and gentle persuasion to the daily comedy of how two people can truly be the genuine article with all things aside.
The only thing I would say here is, It’s like watching two kids together who are the best of friends, who only care about right here, right now, and who totally love each other unconditionally for the rest of their lives.
