Since the last few articles have been about negatives and divorce statistics, I thought it was time we had a couple of positive stories of marriages that have stood the test of time.
The first is a couple who recently celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary. If 64 sounds like an odd number of married years to celebrate it could be because Bruce and Isabel are 88 and 84 respectively and maybe they figure one you get to that age you never know how long you’ll be round so you may as well as celebrate each milestone along the way.
It was anything but a traditional courtship. Isabel was 15 when they met and Bruce 19 and in the air force. While he was overseas the courtship was conducted by mail. They became engaged 4 years after meeting and he left for New Guinea the day after. After the end of World War two they married.
They haven’t had an easy life but they’re still together. What’s more they still love each other and still hold hands. Is a coincidence they have been involved and still are in their community, their church and in helping others? I don’t think so.
Another couple celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in October 2008. At the time Ron was, 93, and Esther, 92. Again they knew each other as teenagers, but fell in love and married when in their early twenties. Ron and Esther were married in Prospect on October 19, 1938. Esther was then 22 years old and Ron was 23.
Ron said he and his wife were lucky to have lived so long, ensuring a long marriage. His advice for having a lasting happy marriage is: ‘You have to have confidence in one another and rely on one another.’ Esther considered they had had ‘a fortunate life’ and ‘having three children was a blessing.’
They saw their marriage as a lifelong commitment and lived it out accordingly. It seems to back up the premise that attitude towards marriage is important in how it works out.
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