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Sunday, June 19, 2011

35 YEARS

35 years ago today, I said, "I Do", when I married my High School sweetheart. I was 17 and 5 1/2 months pregnant, and all of the statistics (including some family and friends) said that we didn't have a snowball chance in hell (ok the statistics didn't quite say that, but they meant it). Here it is, 35 years later, and that just sounds like a really long time. Why is that? Before divorce become popular ( I was going to say, "easier", but it isn't really easy is it?), people stayed married forever (well until death do them part), for some, that forever felt like, "forever", for most it was just the way it was and they were comfortable with that. Yet in today's society, 35 years sounds like a long time. Don't get me wrong, I am not against divorce, in fact, quite the opposite. We are both from divorced parents and believe me they were much better off without each other, I am just rambling on about how most people seemed surprised that we have made it this far, and that 35 years to some, sounds like a long time, and it just made me think, "Why?".

Does it feel like a long time? I suppose it does in some ways. We have been together since I was 15, so he's been a part of my life, well, almost all of my life, so for me it is just normal. It is no different than having my sisters as a part of my life, or our children, so why should be being married for 35 years feel any different? It shouldn't, we are family, period.

Is 35 years a long time? You bet, so Happy 35th Anniversary - 35 years of ups and downs, tears and laughter, happiness, sorrow, anger, pain, friendship, growth, changes and family. Some of those years (or days) were fabulous, some have been very rocky times, yet all we need to remember is - that 35 years ago, two people said, "I Do" and through it all, have managed to not become another statistic and are celebrating 35 years of life together.

Expressing myself with memories of the past 35 years.