My Marilyn and I.
We’ve been happily married for fifty-seven years as of this past February eighteenth. I can honestly say she’s been the one who has been the bedrock of the marriage. When I spent all those nights and weekends pursuing my second career in the National Guard along with my primary career in industry, she was the one who sustained the family by overseeing the raising of our children and maintaining the household operation. We’ve been very fortunate in that we made very practical plans before we were married, and that we were able to stick fairly close to those plans, such as to save our money while we were both working, buy our first house after three years and start our family at that time. She had no living parents and my only living parent, my father, lived a distance away and offered little advice or assistance, which meant we had to rely on ourselves. I’m very grateful to her for those fifty-seven good years.
You might ask how we reward each other on those anniversaries and other occasions such as birthdays and Christmas. After all these years when we want something or need something we just go buy it. After all, if you postpone it until one of those occasions, after fifty-seven years we might not be here. That doesn’t preclude the other asking ‘Why in the world did you buy that?” or “Did you really need that?” So what we do is give each other $100.00, with the caveat that you can spend it for whatever you might want, whenever you want, no questions asked by the other. She loves to shop so her money goes for clothes, whatever, and she usually spends each $ 100.00 three or four times. I ask no questions. I spend my $100.00 on stupid things I think I’d like and she can’t challenge me. Works out pretty good.
We’ve been happily married for fifty-seven years as of this past February eighteenth. I can honestly say she’s been the one who has been the bedrock of the marriage. When I spent all those nights and weekends pursuing my second career in the National Guard along with my primary career in industry, she was the one who sustained the family by overseeing the raising of our children and maintaining the household operation. We’ve been very fortunate in that we made very practical plans before we were married, and that we were able to stick fairly close to those plans, such as to save our money while we were both working, buy our first house after three years and start our family at that time. She had no living parents and my only living parent, my father, lived a distance away and offered little advice or assistance, which meant we had to rely on ourselves. I’m very grateful to her for those fifty-seven good years.
You might ask how we reward each other on those anniversaries and other occasions such as birthdays and Christmas. After all these years when we want something or need something we just go buy it. After all, if you postpone it until one of those occasions, after fifty-seven years we might not be here. That doesn’t preclude the other asking ‘Why in the world did you buy that?” or “Did you really need that?” So what we do is give each other $100.00, with the caveat that you can spend it for whatever you might want, whenever you want, no questions asked by the other. She loves to shop so her money goes for clothes, whatever, and she usually spends each $ 100.00 three or four times. I ask no questions. I spend my $100.00 on stupid things I think I’d like and she can’t challenge me. Works out pretty good.
3 comments:
hi marilyn! hi jay! we just got back today from the carnival legend. it was a great cruise, of course any cruise is great to me! ha! hope you are both well and having a wonderful winter....
smiles, bee
57 years, we hit 39 years on Jan 2, Best wishes for one fine looking couple.
Congrats on the long marriage. In today's world that is quite an achievement. I hope I can match you on length and dedication.
Also, congrats on making it from e1 to Brigadier General. That is quite an accomplishment.
I am an aspiring author, and occasionally need fact checking or reality checking when it comes to my stories about military leadership. Would you be interested in helping me out and being a source of info?
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