On November 24, 2001, my parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. I remember the day well. I was 47 years old and acted as the mistress of ceremonies at a large party we planned for them. My siblings and I spent a lot of time preparing for that celebration. We were proud and blessed that our parents were still married to each other and still alive. I created a chronological video presentation of those 50 years. My sister, Patti, wrote new words about their life to the Barry Manilow Copa Cabana song. She recorded it for them, and we put that music into the presentation. It was fabulous and touching and a whole lot of people cried. My dad gave a hilarious speech that also tenderly honored my mother. My brother Ken, a devout Christian, sang his rendition of The Anchor Holds as a tribute to the perseverance it takes to weather the many storms of a 50-year marriage.
The last part of the video presentation, filled with photos of them enjoying life after the 6 children they created left the nest, was set to Amy Grant’s song, Oh How the Years Go By.
Now, here I sit, 24 years later, my own 50th wedding anniversary to Randy looming next week. I marvel. And I am filled with gratitude and love to be in this place and time with a good man who I know beyond all doubt loves me. I am damned proud that we made it to 50 years, beating the odds that only about 6% of marriages reach this milestone.
There are 3 songs that express perfectly how I feel about being married to Randy for 50 years. They say succinctly what it would take me a lot more words to write. I’m just going to put the lyrics in this post. And for your further enjoyment, here are YouTube links to the music videos for Oh How the Years Go By (Amy Grant), You’re Still the One (Shania Twain), and Still the One (Orleans).
Oh How the Years Go By (Amy Grant)
In our times of trouble
We only had ourselves
Nobody else
No one there to save us
We had to save ourselves
And when the storms came through
They found me and you
Back to back together
And when the sun would shine
It was yours and mine
Yours and mine forever
Oh how the years go by
Oh how the love brings tears to my eyes
All through the changes the soul never dies
We fight, we laugh, we cry
As the years go by
There were times we stumbled
They thought they had us down
But we came around
How we rolled and rambled
We got lost and we got found
Now we’re back on solid ground, yeah
We took everything
All our times would bring
In this world of dangers
‘Cause when your heart is strong
You know you’re not alone
In this world of strangers
Oh how the years go by
Oh how the love brings tears to my eyes
All through the changes the soul never dies
We fight, we laugh, we cry
As the years go by
And if we lose our way
Any night or day
Well we’ll always be
Where we should be
I’m there for you
And I know you’re there for me
You’re Still the One (Shania Twain)
Looks like we made it
Look how far we’ve come, my baby
We mighta took the long way
We knew we’d get there someday
They said, “I bet they’ll never make it”
But just look at us holding on
We’re still together, still going strong
You’re still the one I run to
The one that I belong to
You’re still the one I want for life
You’re still the one that I love
The only one I dream of
You’re still the one I kiss goodnight
Ain’t nothin’ better
We beat the odds together
I’m glad we didn’t listen
Look at what we would be missin’
They said, “I bet they’ll never make it”
But just look at us holding on
We’re still together, still going strong
You’re still the one I run to
The one that I belong to
You’re still the one I want for life
You’re still the one that I love
The only one I dream of
You’re still the one I kiss goodnight
You’re still the one
You’re still the one I run to
The one that I belong to
You’re still the one I want for life,
You’re still the one that I love
The only one I dream of
You’re still the one I kiss goodnight
I’m so glad we made it
Look how far we’ve come, my baby
Still The One (Orleans)
We’ve been together since way back when
Sometimes I never wanna see you again
But I want you to know, after all these years
You’re still the one I want whisperin’ in my ear
You’re still the one I wanna talk to in bed
Still the one that turns my head
We’re still having fun and you’re still the one
I looked at your face every day
But I never saw it ’til I went away
When winter came, I just wanted to go (wanted to go)
Deep in the desert, I longed for the snow
You’re still the one that makes me laugh
Still the one that’s my better half
We’re still having fun and you’re still the one
You’re still the one that makes me strong
Still the one I wanna take along
We’re still having fun and you’re still the one (yes, you are)
Changing, our love is going gold
Even though we grow old, it grows new
You’re still the one that I love to touch
Still the one and I can’t get enough
We’re still having fun and you’re still the one
You’re still the one who can scratch my itch
You’re still the one that I wouldn’t switch
We’re still having fun and you’re still the one
You are still the one that makes me shout
Still the one that I dream about
We’re still having fun and you’re still the one
You are still the one
You’re still the one
We’re still having fun and you’re still the one
Persevering through a 50-year marriage ain’t easy, but it’s absolutely worth it. Lord, thank you, thank you, thank you, for this man and this marriage. It’s a blessing as we live out the 4th quarter of our lives.
P.S. Our actual anniversary is December 12. We’ll be toasting (on our cruise ship balcony somewhere near the Mayan Riveria) the tenacity and love that carried us to this momentous occasion. Thank you all for being a part of Randy and Laurie’s Grand Lifetime Adventure. No posts next week while we’re sailing!
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