I called my parents on their 57th anniversary today and had a wonderful conversation with my mom. She talked about how blessed they have been during their marriage.
They were married in a small church in their hometown of Surry, Maine on October 18th, 1952. My dad was 24 and my mom was 18. Dad was the town manager in Corinth, Maine and mom was fresh from her first year of college.
My sister, Lynn, was born in August of 1953 and my other sister, Lorna, was born in May of 1955. Mom gave birth to stillborn baby in 1957 and this was the most painful point in their marriage. I was born in June of 1959.
My dad was hired as the Falmouth, Maine town manager in 1962 and my mom went back to school to pursue her love of teaching a few years later when I started school fulltime.
What I remember most about my mom and dad are the discussions we had around the supper table every night during the 60’s and 70’s. Mom was a liberal Democrat and dad was a Republican. It was fascinating, even to a little kid, to have dissenting political ideals displayed by both parents with passion and intellectual conviction while I ate some very traditional home cooked meals.
No matter how much they disagreed politically they agreed deeply in regard to family, religion, money and sex.
We were close as a family, attended church regularly, they used their money wisely and they expressed their love physically in a vibrant and beautiful way.
The success of their marriage comes down to the way they respect, love and listen too each other.
The bond between them allowed them to leave their hometown church when the church would not allow homosexual ministers. This past week they proudly placed their “NO on 1” sign in the front yard of the home back in Surry, Maine where fifty-seven years ago they began the journey that taught them that the sanctity of marriage comes down to the deep, traditional values of love ,trust and respect between two people.
Thank you, mom and dad. Your life lessons continue to give me strength and confidence. I will make sure that I pass those lessons along to Brandon, Kourtney and Sam.
Happy Anniversary and I love you.
Cameron
