A Milestone in my Parents' Marriage: Golden Years of Togetherness

My parents celebrated their 50 years of marriage on June 10, 2022. OMG 5-0 lol! 😂✌️They tied the knot on June 10, 1972, in the quiet neighborhood of Sto. Nino, San Agustin, Surigao del Sur. 

It's the place where my mother was born and raised. Just a short drive from the popular Britania group of islands. I have spent most of my childhood summer time in my mother's home place with my maternal grandparents. 

It has a beautiful seaside hinged with coconut trees, where turquoise water glistened under the blistering summer sun. It was there that I experienced walking in the dunes. Ah, memories!

Left: wedding day (June 10, 1972) Right: 50th Anniversary (June 10, 2022)

I am not super cheesy when it comes to my parents' love story. Not that, it's not the kind of love story the world needs to hear, but I find it strange to feel mushy about their marriage story. I don't usually pry on other people's love life, even to my parents lol!

And besides, I don't know where to tie the loose end of the tale haha! In my elementary years, I heard the story of how they met through my grandmothers, and they had different versions OMG! Grandmas! 😄

My parents on their wedding day surrounded by the bridal entourage

When I was still a kid I love hearing all sorts of tales. I remember prodding my two grandmothers to share significant events from their younger years. They would share amazing stories of their past, including the love saga of their children haha!

But the strangest of all tales they told me was about how my parents met and got married, it sounded like two different versions. Haven't got a chance to confirm the story with my parents though. The rest of the recollections faded in my memory. And I barely remember the exact words told by my grannies. 

Anyway, my parents stick through thick and thin. Though not the perfect union you could imagine, they went through highs and lows in life, and at some point, they hit rock bottom, but theirs is one of the most stable, I would say because they have passed the test of time.

I guess the very essence of a lasting marriage is the ability of the couple to respond to the challenges of time and to overcome the roadblocks in the relationship. Marriage is building trust, respect, and commitment to make it last. But above all, it requires skill and will.

I grew up in a quiet neighborhood nestled between the ocean and the mountain, A typical rural life where everyone is a family and mornings are free from the rumblings of the city den. And I had a happy childhood.

The warmth and love of my parents, the devotion of my father to serving the Catholic Church, and my mother's level of patience, helped me see the world from a beautiful perspective.

Papa

Though they're far from perfect, they've given us (me and my siblings) a loving home with so much protection. My father was so attentive and had not missed any of my school activities back then, despite his busy work schedule. And that was enough.

Watching them celebrate such a unique milestone in marriage and hearing they are in excellent health, made me complete. At this point in my life, happiness means watching my parents enjoying their existence free from troubles and illnesses. 

Having reached 50 years in marriage is so extraordinary nowadays. In a dangerous world where family ties hang in the balance, and where many homes were torn apart by deceit and betrayal, hearing couples hold on to their marriage vows, is a rarity.

With so much chaos going on around the world, families becoming so dysfunctional, relationships ending in heartbreaking separations, and disappointing records of divorces in the west, hearing couples reach such a milestone is an awe-inspiring feat. 

"You are beautiful not because you are perfect. You are beautiful because despite your imperfections you have chosen to love each other and stick with each other, each day for 50 years".

But my siblings OMG! How can they be so insipid? No proper capturing of the moment. Ughh!  Missing to take proper mementos for such a significant milestone is so grating. Anyway, if they'll hear my rants, they will turn the table and get back at me about why I did not return home and take care of the stuff I am fretting lol! 😂

Moments will go, and others will forget it, but mementos that capture the precious moments are treasures that will live on. 

It will keep the memories alive. And they just wasted it. How can they be so lenient! 😭 All the angles are like some internet memes emerge from a child's studio. Lol!

So Why 50 years is referred to as Golden Years?

It has something to do with the golden era, according to some sources. When an era is called "golden" it means prosperous and stable, achieving the peak of its goals in the political, art, economic, and cultural aspects.

Gold also signifies endurance, because it is a strong and valuable element and resistant to collision. Thus, a Golden anniversary epitomizes endurance and stability. 

Prosperous in the sense that they have journeyed together in life in such a long time without giving up, accumulating wealth of experiences and wisdom, making the marriage stable and enduring. The couples who reached golden years in their union are those who have winded off trials in the relationship.

Prosperity of reaching the golden years does not mean "money" but achieving the peak stability of the marital union. A marriage that lasts this long is considered a durable and stable union, having prosperous years of togetherness.

However, I have different views about life's vocation 😂

And because many of you are like annoying nosy parkers who kept badgering me about getting married, I might address it as well. 

It's always unethical to ask people about their personal information like status and financial position because these are highly sensitive information that should not be openly discussed unless the person allows it. And it's not everyone's business to suggest what's best for others. 

Questioning someone why they're still not taking the plunge in marriage is very rude! It is so downright impolite. 

A decent person in his or her correct senses would never eavesdrop on other people's personal lives. It lacks propriety. 

Happiness is a choice, it is a state of the mind. No one has the right to interfer how you should live your life and how you should be happy. It is a personal endeavor.

The problem with our society is the fact that it still follows the ancient concept of patriarchal social conditioning where people measure someone's worth by their civil status. 

So people in our surroundings who have a slim understanding of how the real world works, continue to breathe this primitive belief. It's a sexist attitude!

I find it very rude and uncultured every time someone asks me some very personal question like getting married. It lacks respect, to be honest. They are already crossing boundaries!

It's the kind of social pressure I detested because personally, I believe in taking responsibilities based on our own life's vocation. 

Marriage is a vocation and so do singlehood. So as long as we're doing things right and not harming anyone, and we're happy the way our life runs, then we're a complete person. No need to look for someone to complete us. 

I don't understand why people measure happiness or life on earth by getting married? It's so dull-witted. As if there are no other better things in life to do than hitch a partner. 

I'm ecstatic that my parents reached 50 years in their union which means they're able to fulfill their mission in life and able to respond to the challenges of the marriage vocation. 

It's of us has "calling" and as long as we're responding correctly to the challenges of that calling, we're living our life in the right direction.

We seek meaning in life. We have been called for a specific vocation to accomplish our life's mission, irrespective of whether it is a marriage state or a singlehood state. 

It's how we run our life, how we view the world, and how we respond to the challenges and the consequences of the choices we made that will make life worth living.

I want to live my life the way I want it, and not the way how people want me to be or how society expects me to be. And I hope people will respect it. 

I have a different definition of happiness and fulfillment. Maybe my life's principles are just different from others. 

I still have so many things to accomplish and do while alone. And I am happy with how things run in my life now and that's enough.

I am not part of the long-forgotten generation that adheres to the stereotype social norms of having a partner in life. I am happy being myself. I love the kind of freedom I have now. I am not afraid to face life alone, the future will take care of itself.

I am stable and independent. I don't need an anchor to survive. I know where my life is heading. And I don't need affirmation from other people. 

Watch this blurred short clip lol!

Apology for the rant haha! I just want to raise a voice because I'm so exasperated with other people's intrusion to my personal life. And I guess this is the right moment to say things because it's my parents 50th wedding anniversary and people prodding me again about this marriage thing. 

Anyway, I am so overwhelmed that my parents reached such a unique milestone in their marital union. May they continue to grow in love and happiness. 

I wish them eternal togetherness, excellent health, and enduring strength. And may they continue to cherish each other and honor the lifetime commitment they vowed to keep.

These edits are better lol! 😂

"You've enjoyed 50 years of beautiful moments and memories worthy to cherish, there maybe highs and lows, but you have endured the tumults that passed along. And traveled through the cracks to reach this awesome milestone. May you live long enough to celebrate another milestone. Happy Golden Anniversary!"

“Marriage stands the test of time when both you and your spouse work towards making things better. And we are tested the most when we face adversities. If you can sail through the adversities as one, as a team, then you have won half the battle.” – Unknown

Happy Golden Years! Cheers!🥂🎉 Leaving you with this amazing quote from Khalil Gibran about marriage:

“Let there be spaces in your togetherness, And let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another but make not a bond of love: Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. Fill each other’s cups but drink not from one cup. Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf. Sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone, Even as the strings of a lute are alone though they quiver with the same music. Give your hearts, but not into each other’s keeping. For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts. And stand together, yet not too near together: For the pillars of the temple stand apart, And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow.” – Khalil Gibran