What it takes to go the distance

So many years ago it was
you gave each other rings.
You promised love. You honeymooned.
The world was on your string.

But with life’s pressure and its stress
your string got frayed at times.
The shine of romance lost its gleam
like poems that don’t rhyme.

And yet when you lived out your vows
and put the other first,
the glow of love returned again.
With joy you were immersed.

That joy still marks your lives today
as you two celebrate.
Its more than just a marriage bed
that makes a marriage great!

Commitment and companionship,
forgiveness and some fun
are what have brought you to this day.
Two lives still meshed as one.

* This poem is dedicated to all the couples at Covenant Shores Retirement Community who have been married for more than sixty years. I am especially grateful for the example of commitment and companionship that Wilson and Ruth Eckels modeled. The Eckels celebrated their 72nd wedding anniversary on June 5, 2013 (Wilson’s 95th birthday). He passed away five days later.