Happy Anniversary, Mom & Dad!

Today is my (deceased) parents’ 63rd wedding anniversary. I reflect on this date with obvious gratitude because had they not united, I would not be here. My big brother Dave, who at times, did double duty as my best friend, wouldn’t have existed and therefore HIS off-springs, Brian and Sean, and in turn, THEIR kids wouldn’t have graced this earth with their presence.

My folks both set wonderful examples for us to follow:

A) Put God first -
•We gave thanks before every meal, said our prayers every night, and gave our energies and income to the Church as well as to other charities. To this day, I give gratitude prior to almost each meal, whether at a restaurant or in my home.
(Mom once kicked my Dad under the table when a Priest came for dinner and Pop nervously forgot to pray. Finally Mom said, “Hey, with my cooking, this food might taste better is we say grace.”)

B) Put family right next to God –
•Mom used to straighten the house and re-map her make-up at 5 p.m. in anticipation of Dad’s return home from work. They always greeted each other with a kiss, doing the same when they left the house, even if they were just going to the store. This might be because Mom lost her Mother as a result of what seemed to be minor car accident when she hit her head on the windshield. She had been on a 20 minute errand.
Their showing affection in front of us was a great example…how else would we learn it to show our children who could show their children?
Mom used to say that when she heard Dad open the door, her heart would skip
a beat. She said that’s how every marriage should be, no matter how long the
union had lasted.
I loved the times when Dad would surprise Mom in the middle of the day by
coming home and taking her to lunch.
They made sure that they kept their marriage strong by having a date alone as
often as they could. We learned to honor and encourage it.

• We ate meals together as a family 80% of the time which allowed us to shared our days’ experiences. That’s how we learned to talk, laugh and figure out solutions together to problems. Even though we all had extra-curricular commitments, Mom planned the meals AROUND all activities ~ AFTER football practice or BEFORE a swim meet or BEFORE they went bowling. It took some creativity at times and some work, but communication was a top priority. We didn’t need cell phones and email because we talked about what we were doing and where we would be at our meal-time.

Sundays were our family day. We took rides in the country, we learned to play games and we knew that every Sunday after Church, we would be together. Most of the time, no one else was there because Mom felt we needed that one day for US.

• Both my parents supported us in our interests. I know that my folks couldn’t afford the golf lessons that they provided for me but they thought I had a special talent so they sacrificed a few things so I could grow in an area that would feed my self esteem.

• Humor and laughter were always there for us, even in tough times.

• If they had arguments, they tried (for the most part) to keep it to themselves instead of having us be an audience to it.

• They never used bad language.

C) Be a Good Friend
• They both showed their generosity in both time and money with their friends. Dad would take a friend who had become blind to the bowling alley to “watch” their Monday bowling league when no one else would bother with him. Mom was forever trading everything from book titles to babysitting chores with her friends.

Were they perfect? Nope.
We were by NO stretch of the imagination candidates for a reality show for "Most Perfect Family to Rival Father Knows Best" My parents had a few flaws...and although they LOVED their time together and they were each other’s best friend, they sometimes enjoyed their cocktail hour(s) a bit too much. They would get to talking and talking and bending the elbow in rhythm to the upbeat conversation.
But that taught us something too.

Did all the GLORIOUS things that I have referred to happen ALL the time? Heck no, but enough that I remember that maybe that’s how it SHOULD be.

I know THIS ~ my parents were darn good role models.
They loved us with all their hearts and I could talk to them about almost anything (sans politics)…
and I KNOW they loved each other.

Here’s to you, Mom and Dad!
I love you and thank you for "gettin' it together!