Staying Married

With few exceptions, when people in my family get married, they stay married. I'd like to think it's because we choose our mates wisely, but more likely it's just that we're too stubborn to admit we made a mistake.

The photograph above shows my great grandparents at their fiftieth wedding anniversary celebration (in the middle just behind the kids), surrounded by family members. (And I'm fairly certain that's only part of the family.)

For years, Dr. Lobo and I stayed married because we had a deal: whoever left had to take all three kids. Since neither of us wanted to parent our bright but weird offspring without backup, we always decided to hang around, even when the other one made us crazy. We figured three active, scheming, opinionated kids would make us even crazier.

Now that the kids are out of the house (for good this time, we hope), we stay married because, as Dr. Lobo says, “Inertia is a powerful force.” Since we’re both rather low-energy types (some folks would call us lazy), we’d rather tolerate each other than take action to sever the marriage ties. It sounds like way too much work.

On Saturday we celebrated my oldest cousin’s fiftieth wedding anniversary, and it was delightful. They act like they still like each other, even after all these years.

In 1959, thirteen-year-old Donna had responsibility for the guest book. She re-enlisted for the same duty for the reception. (Notice the photo on the table. That's Donna at the wedding.)

Here’s Marilyn’s wedding dress. It is very, very small. Were any of us really that size back then?

Apparently we were all half-starved in the fifties and sixties. Although I couldn’t get a good picture because of the light from the windows shining on the photograph, here’s proof that Marilyn actually wore that tiny dress.

Here is the happy couple with their daughter, son, daughter-in-law, and grandsons.

Here’s Marilyn with her two siblings.

And this is my friend Glenda and her daughter Margaret. I had a good laugh when Glenda expressed surprise at seeing me there and wanted to know how I knew Marilyn. I informed her that I’d been at the wedding.

Today Dr. Lobo and I are celebrating anniversary number 42. (I was a child bride.) Only eight more years to go before we can have a great big party. We just might make it. Inertia is a powerful force.