Tag: wedding anniversary
Many things in this world tug at my heart strings… babies laughing, a friend crying, a person eating alone, my parent’s house at Christmas, hearing my two year old nephew say, “I love you, Aunt Mary,” watching The Notebook, reading The Notebook, puppies, wedding vows, etc. I mean this list could go on and on, but nothing – and I mean NOTHING! – could possibly tug at my heart strings harder than two old people in love. (Siiighhhh)
There’s just something about an elderly couple, late-in-their-years-but-young-in-their-love, holding hands while walking down a street or through a mall or leaving church after Sunday service that makes my heart melt into pieces. Seriously, is there anything cuter than this…
photo courtesy of debidrecksler.blogspot.com
OR this…
photo courtesy of eternallymine.wordpress.com
OR this…
photo courtesy of thedatingpapers.com
I rest my case :)
Partly because of all the history their hands have together; partly because of the old school rules they use to love each other, and partly because I will never forget how my Grandpa Kennedy’s voice cracks every time he calls Grandma the “love of my life,” but regardless of what the overlying reason is… one thing is for certain, couples married 50+ years sure could teach all us soon-to-be/newly-weds a thing or two about love.
Because isn’t that the end goal we all want for ourselves when planning our wedding day? To grow old with the person we say “I do” to, rocking on a porch swing, drinking chocolate milk? At least that’s what I like to think every couple wants, which is exactly why when I came across this story on Tbo.com, I knew I had to share it.
Married for 62 years, Tampa residents, Cesario and Lucy Corrales knew what it took to make a marriage work. After years of living and working in the same town, getting married, settling down, having children and growing older and wiser together, Cesario and Lucy never lost the love they had for one another.
“They were married 62 years, and they could not be without each other,” said daughter Lisa San Martin. “He was her right hand. She was his right hand.” (Tbo.com)
And while lots of people use the sentiment “can’t live without you” as a means to personify their love for another, the Corrales lived it. Shortly after celebrating her anniversary to her husband on September 5, Lucy Corrales, 82, suffered a heart attack and died three days later at Tampa General Hospital.
Upon hearing the news, San Martin recounts her father’s reaction:
At first he just shook his head, almost in disbelief. Then, he broke down. ‘I should have gone first,’ he told her. (San Martin, Tbo.com)
<Gulp, swallowing back the tears>
And while Cesario didn’t go first, he certainly didn’t wait long to find his love again. Because 43 hours after she passed, Cesario Corrales, 87, suffering from a broken heart, died at the same hospital just a couple floors away from where he last held his sweetheart’s hand.
The funeral home that handled the arrangements collected Lucy and Cesario Corrales from the hospital. “They arrived together,” San Martin said. “And they left together.” (Tbo.com)
… Seriously, cutest :) Rest in peace, love birds, and cheers to all the years of happiness!
Lucy and Cesario on their wedding day, September 5, 1948 (photo courtesy of Tbo.com)
September 15, 2010
photo courtesy of washingtonpost.com
I used to not watch the news because it always seemed to be filled with bad people doing bad things. Hence why I decided to major in journalism, in order to change the world of news from the inside out.
It wasn’t until a journalism professor from college explained to us that the media reports on the unusual or out of the ordinary events that I began to see the world’s glass half full again… You see, the reason there is so much bad on the news is because it’s the “unusual” part of our lives.
So many people – each and every, single day – are doing great things; so, it’s more likely for the news to report on something less shiny because they happen less often. Thus, my love the world grew even more.
I’m a firm believer that there’s a lot of good in this world. There’s a lot of good people doing great things. We’re blessed to have so many wonderful things happening all around us, all the time; so much – in fact – that the wonderful in the world becomes less significant, less newsworthy.
But every once in awhile, the good becomes so great that even the media turns its head, tips its hat and acknowledges it as extraordinary.
One such event took place yesterday in our nation’s capital, when nearly 600 couples gathered under the roof of America’s largest Catholic hurch in order to renew their vows and state their claim of love once again.
According to the Washington Post, nearly 1200 men and women all stood up together, held hands and said “I do” all over again to their spouse of 25, 30 and even 60+ years. While their reasons for lasting so long all varied from couple to couple, there was one thing they all insisted to have in common… their love.
The presiding officiant, Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl, reflected this thought beautifully when he stated,
Because of the power of love, it is possible for a couple to move from ‘me’ to ‘we.’ Love never fails. We may. But love never fails. (Wuerl, washingtonpost.com)
Not only do I see the beauty in couples who withstand the test of time, but I see the beauty in these words. Love is a beautiful thing, make no mistake about it. But that doesn’t mean that people in love won’t be faced with hard times and bad days.
Often times, the couples stated the power and strength of their love held up not in spite of but because of the harder, less ”shiny” times in their lives. Chris Warner, married to his wife, Judy, for forty years said, “This is a commitment you make for life. And therefore, you work through any issues that you have.” To which Judy responded with, “I don’t think there’s any magic potion. You just have to go to bed every night thinking tomorrow’s a new day.”
And with all “new” things in our lives, there’s potential for greater opportunity. I think all couples – young, old or otherwise – could benefit from realizing it’s all about attitude… waking up every morning and choosing to smile instead of frown, choosing to love instead of hate, choosing to stay instead of leave and choosing each other, over and over again instead of anything else.
Congrats to all the couples who celebrated in this wonderful event and cheers to many (more) years of happiness!
June 7, 2010
Still Young + In Love after 60 Years!
Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides, you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because THIS is what LOVE IS. Love is not breathlessness; it is not excitement; it is not the promulgation of eternal passion. That is just being ”in love” which any of us can convince ourselves we are.
Love itself is what is left over when being “in love” has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it. We had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossoms had fallen from our branches… we found that we were ONE tree, not two. – Captain Corelli’s Mandolin
When people ask what excites me the most about my upcoming nuptials, my answer is simply this… “Sunday morning.” After hearing my response, it’s always fun to watch all their different reactions. The most frequent and obvious one is confusion. Some people simply don’t get it. Some will inevitably make inappropriate jokes or references; while others require immediate clarification.
Cutting their "Wedding Cake"
And yet, there are still a select few who get it right away. They know that what I’m looking forward to isn’t necessarily all the glam and magic that surrounds a wedding day. While it will also be incredibly fabulous, they know I’m most excited about all the days that will follow. They understand the excitement of being married, not just getting married. They share in the joy or being a wife (or husband) and signing “Mrs.” on birthday cards and grocery store receipts. They know that toasting to the “happiest day of your life” is silly… because every day after has potential to be even better.
Two of these people – who get it more than most – are my beautiful grandparents, Tom and Dottie Kennedy. This month, they celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. That’s right, people, SIXTY years of loving, laughing, living and crying. Sixty years of sweet victories, bitter defeats and beautiful moments. They’ve shared more together than some people will ever get the chance to see on their own, and even when things got hard, they recognized how much harder it’d be if they weren’t holding hands through it.
Many years ago, I asked my grandpa how he and my grandma have been able to set such an example. To which he so easily replied, “Keep your love young, no matter how old you get. She (my grandma) will always be my sweetheart.” That has always stayed with me.
So, we decided to help keep their love young, and threw a party modeled after their wedding reception. It had it all: a buffet styled feast, cake cutting ceremony – fit with their very own monogram cake topper, flowers, boutonnieres and presents galore! It was amazing, and even though the celebration was for them, I couldn’t help but cheer a little for myself, rooting that my Mister and I could be so lucky! Thanks, Gramma and Pop for setting such an amazing example and cheers to the next 60 years!
And to all my readers out there, please share any anniversary stories, advice or funny memories below. I would love love love nothing more than learning from you! Also, feel free to check out our full line of Wedding Anniversary Accessories and make every year together an even more startling celebration!
July 31, 2009
