The older I get, the more I have to forget, and believe me, I don’t forget to forget. I can’t keep up with dates, holidays, or even my birthday.
As I was drinking my morning coffee, wife Martha, The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage, entered and said, “Do you know what day Saturday is?”
I said very seriously, “I believe it’ll be Saturday.” Then I looked at her and smiled.
“This Saturday is February 14. You do know what day that is.”
I thought about it and then said to her, “Is it one of our granddaughters’ birthdays?”
Looking at me with one of her serious looks, she said, “This Saturday is February 14, Valentine’s Day. Remember what Valentine’s Day is?
“Don’t you remember we became engaged on Valentine’s Day 55 years ago?”
Looking at her, I said, “No way it’s that long!”
We were at Bible school together, where we met. One Sunday, a bunch of us went to a church to sing. We did that often during our school time. I lip-synched while the others actually sang.
On our way home, Martha and I were sitting towards the back of the van. Then she asked me a question, which I assume was rhetorical. “Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be married?”
I smiled and said, “Yes, it would be wonderful to be married someday.”
The next day, as I walked down the school hallway, everyone looked at me, smiled, and said, “Congratulations.” I smiled back and thanked them. I thought I’d finally passed one of my tests, and they were congratulating me.
Not knowing what was going on, I stopped one guy and said, “Why are you congratulating me?”
“Oh, you know. You’re getting married.”
I was getting what? At first, I thought it was some prank people were playing on me. I went along with it, not wanting to look stupid.
I met with Martha to get things straightened out.
We went to a little restaurant down the street, and as we were sitting there, I looked at her and said, “Did you hear the rumor that you and I are getting married?”
She smiled and said very enthusiastically, “That’s not a rumor it’s true. You and I are going to get married.”
Well, 55 years later, as I thought of Valentine’s Day, I recalled that incident. Looking back over the years, what a wonderful time it’s been.
Now that I’m old, I can say that Valentine’s Day 55 years ago was probably the best day of my life, and it was all because of Martha.
In pondering this I was reminded what King Solomon said in Ecclesiastes.
“Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun.”
— Ecclesiastes 9: 9
We’ll celebrate our 55th wedding anniversary in August, and I intend to follow King Solomon’s advice to “Live joyfully with the wife.”
Why change when it’s worked just fine so far?
Dr. Snyder is a former pastor who lives with the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage, wife Martha, in Ocala, Fla. His email is [email protected].
