The Sunday Paper

One of the little things I look forward to every week is the Sunday newspaper. Like many people, I enjoy the coupons and sales fliers, but there is a little treat between the pages that I love much more--the anniversary announcements page. Every Sunday I eagerly flip to this page to read the small glimpses of the lives of lovely couples who have shared their lives together for 40, 50 years, and sometimes even more. Sometimes the paper even has the extra special delight of interviewing a couple about their lives together. The stories they share always bring such a smile to my face. So many of these husbands & wives met and married during the Depression or a time of war. They went through many struggles in their early years of marriage, often speaking of being very poor, yet none of them look back in bitterness, but rather with smiles and laughter. Sometimes stories are shared of losses of children or other loved ones, other times triumphs and great joys have befallen a family time and time again. No matter what is shared, I am always left inspired by these beautiful older folks who have not only just gotten through life together, but have come out from all their experiences, both good and bad, with smiles and such great love for each other. What a picture of hope and love these long-lasting, beautiful marriages paint for us younger people, especially in the days of divorce aplenty.

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