J's sisters did most of the planning for the celebration since they live in Abilene, where the reception was held. We had a great time.......at the end of these pictures is the article Lady wrote for the August column in the Abilene Reporter News......."How to stay married 50 years".......I figured in this day and time, we need all the advice we can get!!!! ENJOY.......
Here are J's parents.........posing for one of many pics
My family from the side view!
J and the boys........
J's brother, Tim, with Grant. I am sure he is explaining the importance of leaving Grandad's antique trucks alone!!! They were used to decorate the "grooms table"!
Me and Hannah.....our niece who is now a senior in high school. Wasn't it just yesterday that she was the 5 yr old cute little flower girl at our wedding??!!! (Everyone keep your fingers crossed that she will decide to go to ACU next fall!)
Here is a website if you would like to see more of the pics from the party.
www.marcelainphotography.com/galleries/sbdavis
Lady's article.................
How to stay married 50 years
By Betty Davis
Monday, August 18, 2008
Fifty years ago, in 1958, Elvis was inducted into theArmy, Queen Elizabeth gave her son Charles the title"Prince of Wales," (the only title she will likelyever give him) and a U.S. bomber accidentally droppedan atomic bomb on Mars Bluff, Calif.That's also the year we got married.My husband and I were so young that our parents signedfor us to marry amidst talk and speculation about howlong it would last; the outside guess was six months.Most have changed the subject by now.The first major decision for us was whether to buywedding rings or a television. We couldn't affordboth, and my soon-to-be-husband thought a TV was awiser investment; neither of our parents had one.I said I wasn't marrying without rings. I may havebeen too young for a driver's license, but a girl isnever too young to know about jewelry.We married in my sister's two-bedroom house with about15 witnesses -- those who had influenced our lives themost. The $17 wedding dress came from Sears Roebuck,and the groom's attire was a two-sizes-too-small suitborrowed from a brother-in-law.My husband later (much later) confessed to standing inthe backyard while preparations were being made in thehouse, contemplating jumping the fence anddisappearing down the alley. There have been times weboth wished he had, but they've been few and farbetween.Our kids are hosting a celebration party for us.This guest list is longer -- more people haveinfluenced our lives.I'll wear the dress I wore to our daughter's weddingsix years ago, and I'll be standing. At her wedding, Iwas in a wheelchair, thanks to a fall and a brokenfoot.My husband will wear the suit our boys bought him forhis last birthday."Don't look at the price," they had said. "Just pickout what you like."They'll not tell him that again; he has great tastewhen he's not buying.I suppose he thought I was worth the price, promisingme that I could have a cat, and we wouldn't move allthe time. We've had more cats than the Humane Societyand lived in the same house for over 40 years.He said he would love me and take care of me, and hehas.I don't remember if I made a promise, but surely in 50years I've kept it.I could say we've been in love every minute and neverdisagreed, but the kids would call me on it. At times,we may have survived more despite "us" than because of"us."There's a sweetness, a oneness, in having a 50-yearhistory together.We've been asked, "How do you stay married so long?"These are random thoughts:Longevity isn't a goal, but the end result of dailyactions over time, that build trust, love andsolidarity.It takes two to tango, and both need to be on thedance floor. I've known marriages that failed, becauseone simply didn't listen to the music.There needs to be more endearing than enduring, morelaughter than lambasting, more touching than taunting.A genuine "I'm truly sorry" goes further than flowers-- they die, are thrown out, and forgotten.Save the flowers for "No reason, I just love you."The Bible says, as do all the books written since,that women need to be loved, men need to be respected.One begets the other, but don't wait for the otherperson to "go first." Make the first move, and thesecond and the third, if need be.Courtesy in a marriage (such as saying "thank you,""please," "good morning," "welcome home") reapsbenefits to the giver and to the receiver.We who are married have the ability and responsibilityto be the best married partner possible and toappreciate and acknowledge the efforts of the otherhalf of the union.Selfishness, always wanting one's own way, no matterthe cost to the marriage, is destructive.Selfishness keeps us from looking outside of ourselvesto "see" the reasoning of another.Alton and I haven't always done it right, making somemistakes several times. To be sure they were mistakes,but here we are 50 years later, preparing for a funparty with family and friends -- and with no desire tobe anywhere else!My husband has bought me a beautiful new ring, sayinghe loves me more today than fifty years ago. I love him more also; maybe I'll get him a new TV.
No one person holds all the tricks about making amarriage work. Tell me what you've learned, I'll tellour readers -- one column for gals, one for guys. Oneto three sentences, including how long you've beenmarried. No names. E-mail me at davisbjo@yahoo.com.
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