50 Years

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.⁸ Love never fails.  (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)

I have not posted much to this blog recently because I have been very busy preparing for a celebration of enormous significance.  My parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this month with great fanfare.  Instead of celebrating by taking us all on an exotic cruise (my first suggestion - ha ha!), they decided friends are more important. So, with help from my sister-in-law, they sent out 150 invitations, and almost everyone came!

Since we live out of town, it was more difficult to offer much help with the local details like cakes, catering, and decorating, so our family took responsibility for the party entertainment.  One of the most enjoyable tasks for me was compiling a slideshow that ran throughout the evening on side screens.  Here is a small sampling of those slides from their early years together:

Proof that Mom wasn't the only one who liked wearing Christmas sweaters

My parents hired a fabulous band to play 50s and 60s music during the party, but my husband and daughter were chosen to be the featured singers for the evening. My daughter sang Mom and Dad's love song during their courtship days, "Sincerely", while her daddy backed up her with some "doo-wops".  He sang "Only You", another classic 50s era love song, and included a series of winks at me during his performance.  And I swooned.  Together, they sang, "Mr. Sandman".  Our daughter had a fierce headache the entire evening, so she eked out the songs the best she could.  She's a great sport.

 

After the singing, I invited friends and family to the microphone to share funny or fond memories of my parents over the past 50+ years.  The stories of how they met and how Dad proposed were told. Fun memories and appreciation for their amazing devotion to one another, friends, church, and community were also shared.  My husband described my parents' hospitality and Dad's willingness to let him borrow his brand new Ping golf clubs and pay his green fees during that first year when he and I met.  My husband also noted that on the day of the party, his parents were also celebrating a significant anniversary, 40 years!  Everyone clapped, and I thanked God for placing us both into such loving families.

After the party, I compiled all the slideshow photos and the photos taken by family and the hired photographer into a scrapbook for them.  Here are a few party pages from that book.