Marriage Math

Five years ago the Indianapolis Star ran a small piece on marriage. The focus was my family. Five couples, my grandmother and her 4 siblings, had all celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. At that time there had been a total of 280 years of marriage between the five couples. My Grandparents celebrated their 61st anniversary this month and as this weekend approaches we will be celebrating another union. These upcoming nuptials had me thinking about what the marriage total is for the family that my grandparents grew.

Bud and Mary Ann Wildrick 1950
Eddie and Eileen Wildrick 1972
Don and Julie Reckelhoff 1992
Randy and Donna Breeden 1987
Eric and Lisa Wildrick 1981
Mark and Terri Canfield 1986
Adam and Shelly Wildrick 2008
Travis and Beth Dieckmann 2005
Brandon and Heather Holman 2011
And soon to be Brandon and Hilary Moy August 20th 2011
Grand Total.....207 years

I'm not sure what has made these marriages work. I know that when I watch my grandparents I see love that seems unimaginable. I see magic, cheesy but true. I see the way my parents and my Aunts and Uncles look at each other. Oh I've seen them bicker, but I've also seen them tear up the dance floor, hold each other up in hard times, and laugh like children. I see honest love that spills out to everyone surrounding them.
Friends of ours said the other night, "Seems all you guys do is go to weddings". I smiled. I've got a big family. I can only hope there are many more marriages and wedding anniversaries in the future. I pray that the love, commitment, and hard work I see in my grandparent's marriage aren’t lost in the next generation.