by Neva Bodin
October 21, 1967, I was making my wedding veil when my soon-to-be brother-in-law, age 12, wanted to go out and look at the pigs on our farm. The veil lay unfinished until later.
October 22, 1967, I was married to the love of my life at two PM. After the wedding we had our car brought out of hiding (to avoid limburger cheese on the engine, tin cans dragging behind, and messages written on the windows), and spent our wedding night 40 miles down the road, returning to my parents farm the next morning, and flying from ND to Seattle, WA where we lived the first two years.
October 22, 2017, family members collected at Red Lobster to eat and celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. A member of the party was that same brother-in-law, a sister-in-law, our daughters and their families. It was wonderful.
We had an open house hosted by our two daughters on our 25th and 45th anniversaries. So we opted for a card shower this time. And that has been so much fun. We have received 140 cards! Some from people we haven’t seen in 50 years. And some ignored the “No gifts Please.”
How do you make a marriage last 50 years? Is it just being in love? Everything always rosy, sunshine, and kisses?
Hardly, as I’m sure any other couple with longevity can tell you. Marriage is a commitment. The minister will say, “Let no man put asunder what God has put together.” OR something like that.
I’m not sure God puts all marriages together. Sometimes we charge ahead on our own steam. Be that as it may, marriage is still commitment. A word that can certainly have many connotations!
Romantic love, sexual attraction, and lack of knowledge gets the ball rolling. But to keep it rolling, I believe it takes patience, forgiveness, waiting through some tough times, thoughtfulness, and selflessness. And a choice to keep on loving, even if the feeling waxes and wanes. And these things aren’t always practiced by both parties! Sometimes one is patient and forgiving while the other isn’t, or vice versa.
We change too as we grow in maturity and the relationship. We aren’t the same people we were 50 years ago! And every 7 or 8 years, statistics show, marriages undergo a bump in the road. We re-evaluate, re-think our decision, wonder if this is it, I think. And then we honor our commitment, remember the reasons we married each other, continue side by side, and praise God for our marriage all over again.
Lots of advice out there for married couples. What works for one might not work for another. Customize it. Every marriage is unique.
And I am so glad we have just celebrated 50 years of uniqueness!
Writing Wranglers and Warriors 
So sorry folks. This blog was to be scheduled for the 8th! But I hit publish to schedule and there still doesn’t seem to be a way to schedule ahead anymore. Sorry if I stole someone’s thunder for the 7th.
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Neva, what a wonderful story. So true. May God richly bless you and Arlo. Denise and Neal and Muffin
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It seems to be happening to all of us Neva. But glitches in technology aside, Congratulations and WOW. I still remember my great grandparetns 50th and I was awed then and am awed now. How blessed you are. Doris
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We are blessed. 50 years sounded like a lot and still does when I go to others golden anniversaries or read about them. But it seems short when I think of the actual experience. Thanks for the congrats.
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Congratulations, Neva. A minister I heard one Sunday preached on a text that normally is used in a sermon about sin and falling away from God, and said it’s a story about starting again, that we have to do that many times in our lives, and that the best marriages are probably the ones that periodically start again. Maybe that’s what the “bumps” are about. However it works, you’ve done something worth celebrating.
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That is a good analogy. As there are always times marital partners feel like quitting I think, so to keep on, we have to start making it work again! Thanks for the congrats and comments.
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Aw, Neva, writing “just married” on the bride and gooom’s car with shaving cream and attaching tin cans to the wheels is half the fun of a wedding, especially if you’re a kid. The first wedding I ever attended was for a baby-sitter who was the daughter of a family friend. I stood on the sidewalk and watched, as my dad and others did the deed. I also threw rice at the bride and groom, as they came out of the church.
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It is fun for the revelers, no doubt. My husband had his black, shiny, 409 super sport chevy dream car, and shaving cream or scratches would not have helped my new hubby say, “I’m in the mood for love,” I think.
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Time flys when you’re having fun, doesn’t it? Congratulations on the 50 years.
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Thanks! Yes time flies when you’re having fun, but also when you are growing old I think! Thanks!
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Congratulations, to you Neva and your husband. It’s wonderful that you celebrated it with your relatives and friends. The idea of a card event sounds great to me- especially since sending cards in the post these days is a lot less common than in the 1960s.
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I loved the card event, especially since we had an open house just 5 years ago and got to visit and see friends and relatives in person then. But didn’t get the amount of cards we got this time from near and far. So we have been blessed. And it is so fun to have something concrete to hold and read, as you say. Thanks!
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What a beautiful bride you were! And that’s one handsome guy standing next to you. Congratulations on 50 years together. I think it takes a lot of commitment and understanding to live together that long and you seem to have done it magnificently! Congratulations!
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You are so nice. It does take commitment for sure. Love doesn’t always overcome the issues that come from living together and raising children together. The bible says we develop character through our difficulties, and we are “characters”! But still in love. Thanks!
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Congratulations. I remember the family celebrating my Grandma Mid and Grandpa Frog’s 50th wedding anniversary back in in the late 1970s. A 50th is indeed a special time. My sister and her husband Larry still have a bit to go before they can celebrate their 50th — 13 years. Now if I got married today, I’d celebrate the 50th in 2067. Let me see… I’d be 116 years old.
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I think you should make a run for it! AT 116, you might be able to attend in your little jet car and have friends and relatives who “drive over” from the other side of the world! It was a special anniversary for sure and we are still trying to make sense of such a big number for our anniversary. Thanks!
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Happy late Anniversay, and congratulations. We are getting close to 50. That is awesome. Sounds like you had a lovely time. Thanks for sharing. Cher’ley
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Thanks. I hope your anniversary is as much fun and exhausting as ours has been! Enjoyed the company who came and stayed and the many cards that said someone shared our joy.
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Happy Anniversary. You are so right every marriage is unique.Hubby and I recently renewed our vows after 30 years. Our relationship is a lot different from most of our friends relationships, but it works well for us.
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Congratulations on renewing your vows! That is awesome. Our neighbors renewed theirs at 50 years in church and he sang a song to her. It was very romantic. Marriages are as unique as the individuals that make up the marriage. Thanks!
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Congratulations on 50 years!! What a great inspiration to the rest of us!
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