50years as husband and wife could already be classified as stuff made for the Guinness Book of World Records. Considering that divorce comes in handy in the United States, lasting marriages are becoming very rare.
So, when I was invited to a 50year-wedding anniversary I really grab at the opportunity to witness this almost historic event. This was purely a family affair as can be seen from the guest's list. The patriarch of the family had produced eight siblings and the siblings had managed a total of seventy-five grandchildren, while 15 great grandchildren already in offing. Put them all packed together in one place, like the church and reception, then you have a whole community.
The affair starts at the church with the renewal of vows. The church and reception area was not designed for a usual wedding, although there were still bunches of flowers all over, what caught my attention were the
anniversary flags that vie for the attention of the guests. I stared at one closely and found 50 and anniversary written neatly on it, although the color of the flag was in pastel, not bright as I expected.
As the entourage started walking "Oh how we danced on the night we were wed" could be heard softly from an invited guest or was it a recording from Bing Crosby, I'm just not certain. But the rendition was so extraordinary that I dreamed, I could also tread the same path someday. Although I feel that it needs a lot of resolve to be married for this long.
At the reception what happened at the church was the exact opposite. With everybody part of the family, it was riotous, rowdy and really fun.
by:
The Flagman
