Mom and Dad’s 1st date OVER 50 years ago
Perhaps you were all expecting a patriotic blog today. It’d be decorated with red, white and blue with a John Phillips Sousa march to go along with it. That would be good for almost any year but this one. Today has an extra special element occurring in addition to Independence Day that far overshadows even this evening’s fireworks. Today, is my Mom and Dad’s 50th wedding anniversary.
50 years! What a milestone! I’ve only been around for 43 of them, but I have witnessed a lot. Even though I have memories of amazing family time together and even though my parents ran and operated their own business, they always seemed to manage to carve out time for just the two of them. There was a weekly standing date night each and every Saturday when my brother and I stayed home with a baby sitter and watched the Muppets and the Love Boat and Fantasy island. There were parents only vacations to Europe, too. Back in those days, there was no Skype or even internet to keep in touch, but they somehow made it work to ensure that they shared special experiences for just the two of them without the kids tagging along.
I am proud of them. 50 years is an accomplishment, and they are role models. Who needs 4th of July when you make fireworks all on your own? My parents chose this holiday not for the fanfare, however. They chose July 4th as their marriage date so they’d always have the day off to spend together on their anniversary. That must be the secret to their success.
My song of the day is their first dance song. “One Hand One Heart” from West Side Story is as romantic as you get. So sorry folks, no John Phillips Sousa today – but I can assure you, there are plenty of fireworks.
