60 Methods to Celebrate 60 Years of Marriage

HAPPY 60th Wedding Anniversary to my Parents Today!

Today's an amazing day in the life of our family. Today marks the SIXTIETH wedding anniversary of my parents. Just how amazing is that milestone? Sixty years. Incredible. Stunning. Astounding. Fascinating. Unusual. Awesome. Bedrock. Spectacular. Stupendous. Remarkable. Unique. Sheer bedrock! A blessing to all who have come to know them over the years, my parents teamwork is the very model for all those willing to observe and learn. 

They met in Springfield, OH. Mom was a 'townie' and dad was a student at Hamma Divinity School, within the hills and splendor of Wittenberg University. That's a glimpse back into their dating days. The way-back machine in action. What magic skills did they possess under the crepe paper bunting that would develop into a lifetime commitment to each other? Happily Ever After. The stuff of fairy tales and best seller how-to books. 

What have I learned about sustaining a successful marriage as a result of my first hand observations of my parent's marriage over the decades? What's in their secret sauce? What lessons are embedded in their milestone today? These are my own perceptions from watching them and without a doubt they are mixed with thoughts on being in a twenty year marriage myself. 

• Start your relationship with someone you like
• Build your house on a strong foundation: keep your faith central daily 
• Support the interests, hobbies and endeavors of your spouse
• Go into the relationship with commitment to one another as a goal 
• Develop a 'team' mentality 
• Demonstrate understanding & caring through daily actions
• "You reap what you sow"....... sow kindness generously 
• Cultivate common denominators of togetherness
• Take pride in the accomplishments of one another 
• Snuggle    

• Consider grace and forgiveness to be pivotal in all things
• Know that storms pass
• Negotiation is a skill that can be developed over time
• Chisel out quality time together
• "A penny saved is a penny earned." Budget for a rainy day
• Navigate like a captain on a ship, follow the maps
• Give your spouse every reason to trust you in all things
• Find a reason to laugh together every day
• Peaceful times are to be savored and enumerated 
• The shortest distance between two points is a straight line: stay the course

• Honesty is indeed the best policy 
• Cheer for the same team 
• Flexibility is helpful in adapting to the reality of the day 
• A sense of humor can be developed and is helpful
• Plan, plan and then plan some more, then double check the plan 
• Check items off your bucket list together
• Develop a clear & equitable division of labor, then reevaluate it 
• Patience: that's where the rubber truly meets the road
• All work and no play creates stress.... so does all play and no work 
• Selflessness: love your neighbor as yourself, works well for spouses

• Silliness will keep you younger  
• Keep each other at the forefront of your daily thoughts
• "A stitch in time saves nine." Take care of issues when they're smallest 
• Tolerance: cultivate it, stretch it, grow it 
• Rally the troops: ask for help when necessary 
• Start each new day with a clean slate  
• Love means frequently having to say you're sorry
• Faithfulness is the heart of longevity
• Establish a project that each can contribute to 
• Communicate and articulate: learn to listen, ask for clarification as needed

• Birds of a feather flock together. Cultivate friendships with like-minded
• Don't go to bed angry. Nuff said  
• Never stand up in a canoe
• Give and take, take and give: rinse and repeat 
• "Every cloud has a silver lining." Look for the silver lining 
• Tell stories to relive the highlights, basque in previous success 
• Relate to your extended family 
• Keep the doors open, be willing to learn new skills 
• Hold each other together when the unthinkable happens 
• Attend events that your spouse enjoys, just because 

• Celebrate the little moments, keep a scrapbook to review later   
• When all else fails, "Lower your expectations" {bumper sticker wisdom}
• Find a good lemonade recipe for when life gives you a surplus of lemons  
• Surprise your spouse, when they least expect it 
• "When the going gets tough, the tough get going." Learn to dig a little deeper
• Patience is a virtue, possess it if you can
• Count to ten and then keep counting, learn to hold your tongue 
• Hold hands when you walk together    
• Keep the sparkle genuine, full of luster 
• "What the world needs now is love, sweet love"

I'm as proud of my parents as they are of me. 

We're flawed. 

We're continually more wrinkled. 

We love one another. 

We've been blessed with the longevity to appreciate one another.

Having the gift of longevity is the biggest blessing of all!  

Here's the 61st reminder, as  you enter your 61st year of your marriage: 

• Look into each other's eyes, gaze & know what a gift you have  

It was fun to put this together with my beloved, while driving down the road on our latest adventure. We're a good team, too. 

*I have to give Allen all the credit for the reminder about not standing up in a canoe. I think that one works well in the literal sense and on the symbolic level as well.

All our love, mom and dad. All of our love. From both of us. 

P.S. We concluded "YOUR" day by driving through Peninsula State park this evening. 

We were in search for new/different vantage points to watch the sunset. 

I know you'll enjoy seeing these.