Next Monday marks sixty-four years that Ken and I have been married. One of the perennial questions for those who have been husband and wife for a long time is, “What is your secret?”
If I was to isolate one factor, it would be trust. After our Ferris wheel ride in 1952 when I was fourteen, I had to feel I could trust that sixteen-year-old boy before I gave him my heart. Two years later, when he began a four-year hitch in the navy, we declared our love and promised to wait for each other. Following his return home, we were wed.
I expected to have disagreements during our marriage but we would make it through them. While I was growing up on a family dairy farm, my folks worked together, played together and dragged their only child along. When their tempers flared, I observed the storm that ensued and the rainbow that always followed the venting.
Ken and I are thankful for our loving parents who raised us with similar ethics instilled in our characters. We did the same with our own three children. Today, we are proud of our family.
Since Ken retired after serving in law enforcement for 37 years, we spend a lot of time at home together. We also enjoy getting away to pursue our own interests knowing we’ll always return refreshed. For forty years, November meant his annual deer hunting trip to northern Wisconsin with his former, patrol partner, Jerry. That has ended but every April, he and our son continue to make a week-long fishing trip to Kentucky Lake. He also has buddies to spend a day fishing with him at nearby Lake Koshkonong in Wisconsin. I meet with other writers sometimes for a few hours and once in a while, for a few days.
Monday evening, we’ll dress up and go to a restaurant for supper to celebrate. We will share memories and count our many blessings, especially continuing to be together.
What is your primary requirement for a relationship?
