60 Years Together

On May 25, my parents will have been married 60 years. Naturally, I have many more memories of our life together than I can write about. But, here are a few thoughts about a wonderful couple.

There are many memories of us camping out on our vacations and on weekend trips. Some of those memories have been made more lasting by the challenges we faced. Of course, there is always the memory of camping by the stream below the lake on a cool evening. As we went to bed, the night continued to get more and more chilly. Finally, Dad and Mom, you moved into the car with Ken, Carol and me. It was a little crowded and we all had to turn over at once - but we were warm. The next morning, the sun was shinning and things at least looked warmer. After breakfast, we went up to the lake where we were shocked to discover that the lake was still covered with ice. The only fishing was ice fishing. I don't remember catching much fish but I did catch some great memories.

Another camping experience happened in some field at some unknown location along our route to somewhere. There was an old corral and acres of ragweed. The morning was chilly but the sun was rising on the seemingly isolated location. Mom was brewing some coffee for Dad and it had a great smell. That was the first time I was offered a swig of coffee or had any desire to taste it.

Our vacations took us out of the hills of Manitou and into the big cities of New York and LA. They took us into fabulous canyons with rocky pinnacles, deep into caves, and across blazing hot deserts (without A/C). My world was expanded many times over because of our annual vacation adventure. Thanks for all your sacrifice, courage and initiative in making these family trips happen.

In addition to our vacations, we also had picnics many places including on the Gold Camp Road, the Rampart Range Road, on the Platte River, and on Mt. Manitou. These were great times for exploring, hiking, and playing in the water. I'm convinced that our family was one of the richest families in town.

After Ouida and I were married and our family began to grow, we inherited the idea of annual family vacation adventures. Our family has been blessed with the sharing many of these times with you. One of those times was a trip up the California coast in an RV. Many other times we found ourselves at a lake (for some reason). Sometimes we played some softball and dodged trees to chase the ball up the hill, other times we had a horseshoe tournament. But, it was a rare event when Papaw lost at horseshoes.

Was it the mountain air or the energy we inherited from our parents that led to the vacations, picnics, hikes, volleyball, badminton and basketball? Maybe it was a little bit of the same energy and drive that powered you Dad as you moved mountains, built walls, constructed houses, became a church leader and fully invested yourself in your business, life and family. Not to be outdone in energy, you're always on the move Mom as you tend the flowers, cook the meals, write hundreds of notes, make a home, witness to everyone around you and encourage us to seek and be our best. You are a great team, wonderful parents and terrific grandparents. I love you.