27. 50 Years of Marriage

Half a Century Together

Half a century of loving, learning, building, laughing, parenting, surviving, growing, traveling, dreaming, and finding our way together.

The Beginning

When I think back to the beginning, I see two young people stepping into life with hope, excitement, and adventure in their hearts.

We could never have imagined all that lay ahead—the joys and the sorrows, the challenges and the triumphs, the places we would travel, the family we would cherish, the memories we would create, and the strength we would discover together.

We simply took each other's hand and began.

Forever

Through every season of life, Rich has been my companion, my comfort, my laughter, my greatest adventure, my lover, and my home.

I still love hearing his thoughts, sharing our days, remembering our adventures, and dreaming about what is still to come.

Time has changed many things, but it has never changed the gratitude I feel for having walked through life beside him.

Thank you, Rich, for your love, your steadiness, your wisdom, your intelligence, your humor, and for the countless quiet ways you have cared for me through the years.

Fifty years together is an extraordinary gift.

We have been blessed beyond measure.

A Golden Love

Fifty years—

not measured by calendars,

but by shared sunrises,

held hands,

laughter around the dinner table,

and quiet evenings when words were unnecessary.

We have crossed oceans,

weathered storms,

raised a family,

grown older,

and, somehow,

grown closer.

If I had the chance

to begin again,

I would still choose you.

Every time.

Happy 50th Anniversary, my love. A century of loving, learning, building, laughing, parenting, surviving, growing, traveling, dreaming, and finding our way together.