Today marks a very special day for me, a day in which I like to look at past photographs and spend time reflecting on years gone by. Thirty years ago today Keith and I were married at the Shrine of St. Patrick in Laurie, Missouri. It was Thanksgiving evening on the twenty-eighth anniversary of my parents, Kirk and Madeleine Hartnett. While my folks were married in the morning, due to fasting rules for attending Mass, they also celebrated their marriage on Thanksgiving.
When I met Keith, in Jefferson City, Missouri, he was all "city-kid" and I was definitely a country girl trying to become a city dweller. We became fast friends and discovered we had many things in common, same taste in music and movies, both Catholic and members of the same parish, both wanted to settle down and have a family, love of travel and exploration of this great country.
We enjoyed a romantic courtship and a fairy-tale wedding. We had great friends, jobs, and a really cute apartment. It was like a romantic movie of the 1980s. Then life came calling. There were heavy disappointments, great joys, challenges with careers, and family focused decisions, but we kept moving forward. We were too young, or self-centered, to realize these struggles were all steps in a lifetime journey. And for thirty years we have continued to put one foot in front of the other. Sometimes we trip each other, or push each other forward, or hold each other back for some time to reason out a decision, but we continue down this path together.
I am a stubborn, hard headed Irish woman who likes to take charge and solve the problem. I am not one to show emotion easily, and have a tendency to expect a great deal of myself and others. In short, not an easy person to live with. Keith has never faltered. He puts up with my ill temper calmly, most often with a voice of reason and support. Keith, my city-boy, has grown into a rural resident at heart. He loves the outdoors, has worked for MoDot his entire career with retirement in short sight, has a easy going sense of humor, and is the most loyal KC Cheifs fan I know.
We both enjoy bow hunting, day-trip traveling, sitting on the deck with a beverage and solving the world's problems, and have recently taken up short hiking excursions. We seem to do everything together and have remained best friends for thirty years of marriage. Now, with the kids grown and on their own, the youngest graduates from college in the spring, we are planning travel adventures and solidifying retirement plans. Where did the time go?
I have often wondered how does a marriage become a good solid family foundation that survives thirty years? There is no magic formula or perfect advice to follow. Keith and I are very lucky to have his folks and my folks as examples of what a strong marriage looks like. We also share the same faith and practice that faith, attending Sunday Mass together, being active members of our parish, and raising our children in the same faith. Marriage is work! It is the best job I will ever have, but it takes commitment and serious effort to travel through thirty years together, raise kids, pay bills, and religiously find time every day for each other. It is so worth the effort and the time! Keith and I know we can face anything in this world, together.
In a couple of hours, Keith and I will go to Mass, everyone else went last evening while I was sitting in a tree stand. Then the hustle and bustle of the week will be upon us. Packing, driving back home, unpacking, figuring out supper plans, starting the laundry, and getting organized for the week ahead. Chances are I will think about the wedding album as I doze off to sleep, and not take time to enjoy the pictures of thirty years ago. I hope I remember that as soon as the alarm sounded this morning and I rolled slowly out of bed, Keith grabbed my hand and said, "Happy Anniversary."
 |
| Photo Credit: Ryan Tindle |
No comments:
Post a Comment