Awesome!

My parents are awesome!

 

I suppose they always have been, but it wasn't until recent years that I really appreciated their awesomeness. Last Sunday was their 35^th anniversary. I wasn't there for the original wedding vows, but I can tell you how they have lived them out.

 

For better or for worse. The better I would think (at least I would hope!) are the six children they share. The worse would be the events of October 2008. Just a few days before Mom's 60^th birthday, Dad got a call at work from a neighbor and friend. Their house was on fire. I can only imagine what was going through Dad's head when he heard that news. The plan for that morning was for Mom to be at home with their youngest grandchild (my then 17-month-old son) that morning. As far as Dad knew, they were there, in a burning house. He called Mom's cell phone. My dad, like many men, is not known for showing his emotions. He's the kind of guy who has told his wife, "I told you when we got married that I love you. If it changes, I'll let you know." Yet I can't picture him that day without tears in his eyes when he heard Mom's voice. Her plans had changed that morning; not only was she not at home, she did not have my son with her. My parents met at their house and watched helplessly as flames tore through the roof. The firemen say the house probably only burned for about 30 or 40 minutes. But that was all that the flames needed to destroy nearly everything they owned. Somehow, Mom was able to joke about her grandkids warning her that if she lit all the candles on her birthday cake, she might start a fire. Dad said, "It's only stuff. We can replace that."

 

For richer, for poorer. The "poorer" part is something that we lived with for most of the time that I was growing up. Mom worked part-time, when she was able. For a while, Dad was laid off and working various odd jobs to support our family. There were a lot of struggles, but Mom and Dad got us through it. "Richer" can happen in a lot of ways. No matter what finances looked like, Mom and Dad let us know that we were rich in family and in love. Recently, the word has taken on a different meaning for my parents. Dad grew up on a farm in Washtenaw County, Michigan. After his mother passed away in 2001, the farm sat empty. One of my sisters lived there for a while, but it was never the same. Our family gathered at the farm on November 5, 2004, the day after my youngest sister got married, to watch as various fire departments in the area used the old house for a training exercise. We were all pretty emotional as the house burned slowly to the ground. That left a 70-acre farm that Dad and his brother rented out to local farmers. I'm sure it was a hard decision for them, but they put the land on the market. It sold in early 2008. The sale didn't make my parents millionaires, but it did give them enough money to be comfortable.

 

In sickness and in health. My parents have faced their own fair share of sickness. Or maybe they have faced more than their own share. Heart attack, bouts of depression, diverticulitis, knee replacement. Possibly the biggest threat that illness has made on their marriage came before they had been married for even ten years. Mom was diagnosed with cancer in 1982. I was six, and my memories of that are very hazy at best. I know that Mom was gone for a long time. My sisters said she had a tumor in her hip, but I didn't equate that to cancer in my young mind. All I understood was that something was growing in her hip that shouldn't be and that her doctors were mean, keeping her away from her family. Years later, I learned more of what happened back then. The type of cancer she had was very rare and very deadly. Her doctors told her she might not live through the surgery to remove the tumor. If she did live, she would lose her leg. If she didn't lose her leg, she would never walk again. She lived through it and though she has quite a limp she can walk. She survived and so did their marriage.

 

Mom and Dad have been a great example of love and marriage to me and my sisters. No, they are not perfect. No one is. But I think I was pretty lucky to be born into their family. No, it's not luck. It's a blessing. God knew exactly what kind of parents I would need, and He made sure to put me into their family. I'm happy to have them in my life.

 

I love you, Mommy and Daddy.