The Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage, wife Martha, and I celebrate 53 years of marital bliss this year.
I’ve come to understand that no matter how things change, they always remain the same. Just because my age has changed doesn’t mean anything else about me has changed.
I’m still the same person Martha married 53 years ago. I have no plans to change.
As far as I know, she hasn’t changed either. And I’m unanimous in that.
Down through the years of our marital Showboat adventure, she’s often asked me, “What’s wrong with you? Are you crazy or what?”
That hasn’t changed since the beginning of our journey. I’ve been crazy from the beginning, and I still am, and I have no expectation of changing.
If I’m going to change, I’d like to know what she means by the phrase “or what?”
I’m sure my definition of crazy and her definition of crazy don’t share the same dining room table.
For one, crazy means that I don’t take things very seriously. That’s been helpful down through the years, and I can verify that. It helps me to release stress.
The real difference between my wife and me is that she takes everything seriously. I, on the other side of the room, don’t take everything seriously.
Of course, there are sometimes, I must admit, I take the wrong thing not too seriously. That’s what really gets me into trouble.
One time, Martha bought a new dress, brought it home, put it on, and came out to where I was sitting and asked me, “What do you think about this new dress of mine?”
I wasn’t feeling too serious at the moment, so I looked up at her and said, “I don’t think I could wear that dress anywhere and get away with it.”
Before I even finished the sentence, I knew I was in trouble.
“What?” she said, “You think you can wear one of my dresses?”
Throughout the years of our marital bliss, I’ve often dug a hole so deep that I couldn’t get out, yet I still kept digging.
I thought I was just joking, but she didn’t.
Looking at her, I laughed and said, “Oh, my dear, I was just joking.”
I thought I’d gotten out of that hole, but was wrong.
“So,” she said sarcastically, “you think my dresses are jokes.”
It was at this level that I realized this wasn’t very funny. I may be crazy, but this was not the time to be crazy. If only I could learn how to control being crazy.
Our 53-year marital journey has been great. I credit that success to one of my favorite verses in the Bible.
“Can two walk together, except they be agreed?” — Amos 3: 3
Throughout our journey we’ve agreed on more things than not. In fact, the longer we live together the less we seem to disagree. That’s unity.
We’re headed in the same direction although, sometimes I’m looking out the right window and she’s looking out the left.
The destination is what really matters. And that we totally agree on.
Dr. Snyder is a former pastor who lives with the Gracious Mistress of the Parsonage, wife Martha, in Ocala, Fla. His email is [email protected].
