Second date, she had on too many clothes to hug. Paul decided he wanted to hug her instead of the clothes, so he tried to slip his hand under a couple of layers. That got him a good slap beside the face, and a request to take her home. They seemed to get over that.

I have begged for more information about dates after that point, but they have been unwilling to let me in on the particulars. Sure makes you wonder. Maybe when I get older.

January 16, 1957 Paul and Mary wed in a snowstorm. It’s been storming ever since. Not really.

Then in September of 1958 trouble came, spelled F L O Y D.

Next was Linda, Dad called her Cheetah. I don’t know why. I called her The Boss. Seemed like she always ran the show.

They say ‘third time is a charm’ and that proved to be true: ‘Stan the Man’. When they saw me, they knew they had accomplished their goals!

There were a lot of lessons over the years. Mom taught the Bible, Dad taught about life. Life with the Bible made sense, life without the Bible is chaos.

Some people say that B I B L E is an acronym for Basic Information Before Leaving Earth. For us it was Be Instilled or Be Living Elsewhere. It was not an option. We didn’t enjoy it, but Mom hadn’t gone to higher education. She didn’t know that she was supposed to care about how we felt, or did she? We were forced to learn verses like “Honor thy father and thy mother,” and “He that does not work, does not eat.” That last one seemed very motivational to us.

Dad taught us to work. That too was not up for a vote. I hoped that some day I would work myself to death, then he’d feel bad. I would practice passing out in front of the mirror to see how I would look when I died. I didn’t look that good.

I remember Dad working long hours, coming home late, and us being so excited to see Daddy come home. I can still hear my mother say: “Daddy’s home, Daddy’s home!”

In 1967 Dad bought the family farm, called ‘Hammond Street Esso’. Dad fixed cars, Mom pumped gas, the kids were told to sweep out back. Sweeping wasn’t really what we felt called to do, so we worked on other things to pass the time. We found that we could climb the back wall by hanging on to the vent pipes of the underground tanks on the back side of the building. From those we could get to the roof. On the roof, the view was much better! I’ll never forget Dad looking up at me and saying: “Do you want me to get arrested?”

Me: “No.”

Dad: “Then get down off of there!”

I learned a lot from Mom and Dad. They taught by example. I saw them work hard, play hard, serve the Lord, and kiss with their tongues. Some things you never forget.

Time stops for no one. We grew up, went to college, got jobs and got married.

Floyd married a red head from North Carolina, had four kids and then moved to Carolina. He works on Fords, so he’s not very busy.*

Linda married a guy from New York who works in management at a mill. They have four kids.**

I married my high school sweetheart and had two kids, and never really left home. Just five hundred yards down the road. God blessed me twice in the marriage department. I have had the rare privilege of knowing what it is like to have two true loves in one lifetime.***

In all of this, there has been a very present, silent Witness to all that has happened in the family of Paul and Mary. His name is Jesus Christ. Our Savior, Our Redeemer, Our Friend, Our Lord and Our God. From their parents, to their kids, to their grand kids every one is a believer in that Savior.

I wasn’t there when it all began, when a man named Paul went to work for a man named Harland. But I will be there when it never ends. Because life in Christ, with family in Christ lasts forever.

Happy 50th Anniversary, Mom and Dad, and 50 million more!

*Floyd died of cancer in October 2015.

**Linda’s husband (Michael) was killed in May of 2007 as the result of an accident.

***Stan’s first wife (Lori) died of cancer in June 2001.