Commitment Is Something My Parents Know About

Commitment is something my parents know about.

On February 11, 2019, my parents will be married for 68 years! Wow! How many people will reach this milestone?

I am so blessed to have these two as my parents. They taught me, my siblings, my kids, and all of their many grandchildren and great grandchildren about commitment.

They taught us about love of family, God, friends and to always do our best.

 

What does commitment mean to you?

There’s commitment in relationships, to ourselves, to your work, to God and your faith. What else?

 

For my parents, who have been married for 68 years, I know it’s not always been smooth sailing. They lost their first child, my brother Johnny, when my dad was in the service in Virginia in 1952. My mom was far away from her mom and dad and all of her support system.

It was heart breaking for them both.

Fortunately, they went on to have 5 more children.  Four daughters and one more son. They now have 16 grandchildren and close to 30 great grandchildren.

 

My dad worked two jobs for a portion of their marriage, as a carpenter, so my mom was able to stay at home and take care of us and our home.

Faith and commitment to God have always been very important to my parents. To this day, in their late 80’s, they are very active in their church each week. For instance, Mom still has a beautiful singing voice and sings in the choir. Acts of service are key.

 

Here are some synonyms for the word commitment:

 

I asked my parents what they would say about all of this and here is what they said:

Dad:

“Commitment to me is being faithful to the Lord and to my wife. Having trust in both. It’s important to give to the other. There’s always a give and take.  Spending time together is something else that helps with commitment. God plays a big part in a person’s longevity and also how I take care of myself. It’s all really been such a blessing.”

 

Mom:

“Doing and planning things together, like always going to church together has been important to our commitment to each other. There are times when we each do our own thing as well. We each need to be individuals. The road hasn’t always been smooth. We count on each other and the Lord. In addition, we’ve made the important choices together, as well as the smaller things. That’s a big part of staying within our commitment to each other. We have such a blessed family.”

 

I’m interested to hear what you think about commitment. What does it mean to you?

Dad and Mom, Happy 68th Anniversary!~

I love you both beyond words. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

With love, appreciation and blessings,

Connie