Ask Linda Anything!

21 YEARS MARRIED!
Submitted By Anonymous


Yesterday my husband and I celebrated our 21st wedding anniversary. I always thought of 21 as a golden age to achieve, not the duration of life commitment to another human being.

Still, we are asked all the time, “How do you do it?” The answer is always easy when we are asked together. Ian says, “I always let her get her way” and I always agree by saying, “and that’s how our marriage will stay happy!”

But, the truth is, I think there are all those things like understanding, support, sacrifice, attention and staying close through tough times which is always the toughest part. I do think there is a little luck involved as well. I don’t know how any two people when they say, “I do forever,” could ever understand what forever means.

Our marriage has so much to do with our children now. I was raised by two very strong parents who strictly enforced family and church before anything social. In fact, in high school, when all the other kids were going to football parties, I had to drive 11 miles into the city in an old green Rambler to choir practice with my older sister and brother. I wasn’t really happy about it then, but it certainly makes sense today.

It feels like when Ian and I start losing track of our family and our children begin to control us, our marriage suffers. Now, I just revert to the weekly Rambler ride when our kids complain, "you're more strict than any other parents!"...sorry, not more strict than mine!

Last night we sat at a restaurant, discussed all the “business stuff” that you do with the responsibilities that accumulate in 21 years and then we said, “ Okay, enough about that! Let’s talk about us.”

So for the rest of the night we did. It was very romantic and even though we are 21 years older than when we first met, when we really look into each others eyes, we see that all the reasons we got married in the first place, haven’t changed.

See you tomorrow...

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