It was 49 years ago today that we stood before the minister.  There in front of our families and friends, we made our vows to each other and became husband and wife.  Since then we’ve called our native Michigan, where we live today, Connecticut, Costa Rica and Ecuador “home.”

The years have been good to us and God has blessed.  We enjoy contact with our two sons, daughter-in-law and granddaughter.  Each passing year strengthens the bonds and tightens the ties that bind us together.

A couple of weeks ago I posted about writing a letter to myself at age 17.  In writing that post, I remembered the evening that I met Sylvia.  Brad Paisley summed it up in the words of a song.

Then

I remember, trying not to stare the night that I first met you
You had me mesmerized
And three weeks later, in the front porch light
taking forty-five minutes to kiss goodnight
I hadn’t told you yet
but I thought I loved you then

And now you’re my whole life
now you’re my whole world
I just can’t believe the way I feel about you, girl
Like a river meets the sea,
stronger than it’s ever been.
We’ve come so far since that day
And I thought I loved you then

And i remember, taking you back to right where I first met you,
You were so surprised
There were people around, but I didn’t care
Got down on one knee right there once again,
I thought I loved you then

And now you’re my whole life
now you’re my whole world
I just can’t believe the way I feel about you, girl
Like a river meets the sea,
stronger than it’s ever been.
We’ve come so far since that day
And I thought I loved you then

I could just see you, with a baby on the way
And I could just see you, when your hair is turning gray
What I can’t see is how I’m ever gonna love you more
But I’ve said that before

And now you’re my whole life
now you’re my whole world
I just can’t believe the way I feel about you, girl
We’ll look back someday, at this moment that we’re in
And I’ll look at you and say
And I thought I loved you then
And I thought I loved you then.

The shot above was taken about three and a half to four years before we married.  We were getting to know each other, and I thought I loved her then . . .

These days we look more like the folks in this image.  Brad got it right in his song.  I’ve embedded it below, in case you like to listen to it sung.