This week my grandparents have been married for 63 years. Yes, that’s right 63 years. Which seems like a lifetime to me – literally — since I am turning 30 this year. Just to put this into perspective here are a few events from 1944 the year they were married:

• World War II: Allies begin Operation Shingle (an assault on Anzio, Italy).
• Women in France receive the right to vote.
• Mohandas Gandhi is freed from prison.
• The United States Democratic Party nominates Franklin D. Roosevelt for a fourth term as president.
• The radio show, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet debuts

I finds it difficult to get my mind around it. A life together that is still going strong. The changes they have seen in the world.  Their accomplishments range from starting a business to raising 3 wonderful children who went on to have 7 beautiful grandchildren (all of which have graduated college by the way) and 5 great grandchildren.

I can’t help, but compare my experience to theirs:

• My grandparents have been married for 63 years. . .I attend a lot of weddings. Does that count?
• By my age they already had children. . .I can’t commit to a pet. It is SOOO much responsibility. I can’t be tied down like that.
• They have been in wars. . .I watch wars on TV.
• They owned a hardware store that still exists to this day. This year it celebrates 60 years in business. . .The longest I have stayed at a job was two years, and I thought I deserved a medal for being so committed.

So our lives are very different.

I have only just begun to realize that not everyone had a childhood with grandparents like I did. Apparently, not everyone lives next door to their grandparents growing up. We got to have BBQs every Sunday during the summer. My grandparents acted as the best Olympic judges scoring every dive into the swimming pool as a “10”. I have also discovered that most grandfathers let their grandchildren win at board games – I don’t know what that feels like. I am lucky enough to get homemade gifts from my grandmother each Christmas. I say this as I sit under a lap quilt she made for me. It is one of my most valued treasures. Apparently, not every kid gets ice cream in the summer, and foot long hot dogs from their grandpa. I can still hear my Nana’s beautiful voice singing church hymns as she walks through the house.

They are wonderful grandparents. After 63 years of marriage they have taught me some valuable lessons, here are a few. . .

• Don’t marry a man who is just like you it would make your life extremely boring.
• Show kindness: open doors for a lady, give complements, make beautiful meals for the ones you love.
• Support family always. Even when they don’t always deserve it.
• Faith is a cornerstone.
• Laughing at yourself is essential.
• Be honest.
• You don’t always have to like you family, but you must always love them.
• Swim it out. When I’m having a hard time, I swim, and I feel a little closer to their swimming pool of my childhood and home.
• Keep learning. Keep reading, learn computers, learn photography, create art, write journals, etc.
• Service. We must all give back to our communities and our world.
• Don’t waste. Don’t waste anything – money, time, patience, or the extra food on your plate.
• Boys and Girls are equal. Growing up everyone got dirty, everyone could play rough, and everyone has to clear the table. As a young girl, that doesn’t go unnoticed. Ask all the independent women they have created.

Big shoes to fill. Sometimes it seems they may be impossible to fill. However, my grandparents are always quick to share the mistakes they’ve made. Very understanding that life is not always easy. That choices are difficult, but there is always love. There is always your family. They don’t just have to love you – they want to.

For the past few years, I have watched family and friends begin their married lives together. It is impossible for me to think of them in 60 years. I have often thought, that perhaps that kind of marriage, that kind of love is now impossible. The world has changed. Our busy lives, our short attention spans. . .We just can’t do it anymore.

But then, I look at my parents who have been married more than 30 years. My cousins building beautiful families, my sister who has been with her boyfriend for more than 6 years. . .and I still believe. It’s hard. It’s work. It’s worth it.

Nana and Grandpa I hope you know that I am proud to be your granddaughter. Your lessons have become a part of me. And I still believe in love, because I have seen it in you.

Congratulations on 63 years together. I love you.