There is a lot that I am thankful for each day — so much so that I could fill every inch of this newspaper today and still have more to write.
Number 1 on that list is the one thing that has always topped the list and always will — family. The older I get, the more I appreciate the family — and the era — in which I grew up.
Some might say, however, that my family is odd because we’re so close, but I wouldn’t want it any other way.
My aunts and uncles have been like a second set of parents going back as far as I can remember.
My first cousins — all five of them on my dad’s side — have always been like my brothers and sisters. I have two younger sisters but it has always felt like I have three brothers and four sisters because of the way our parents raised us. My aunts and uncles grew up the same way because of how their parents raised them.
I have never known life any other way. I can’t imagine growing up without having such a close-knit family, and as I get older, I can’t imagine life without them.
The reason our family has always been so close is because of two people that mean more to us than I could ever put into words: my grandparents Jim and Deleina Peeper.
This Memorial Day weekend, as we remembered all of those who have died in service to the United States, we also took some time to celebrate my grandparents.
You see, earlier this month they celebrated a milestone — 65 years of marriage.
It was May 1957 and Dwight D. Eisenhower was president of the United States when my grandparents were married in a small ceremony at the Courthouse.
My wife and I were just married in December 2019. If we’re lucky enough to still be around when we celebrate our 65th anniversary, I’ll be 104 and she’ll be 97. Grandpa Jim is a young 82 while Grandma is 85. It took me a little longer than it took him to meet that special person to spend life with — 22 years to be precise, but I digress.
So how do you celebrate 65 years of matrimony?
Our family spent Monday evening at my aunt and uncle’s house grilling hamburgers and hot dogs, consuming as many calories from desserts as if it were Street Fair week, and telling stories while laughing so much it hurt.
It was simple yet it was a night I will always treasure because our family was together in one of the same places we’ve gathered so many times over the years. Those who couldn’t be there were certainly with us in spirit and in our hearts.
A lot has changed over the past 65 years but one constant that hasn’t is always seeing my grandparents together.
I won’t try to summarize today the secret to a happy 65 years of marriage, but I’m convinced that it has to do with always putting the other person’s needs ahead of your own. I have seen both of my grandparents act that way in the four decades I’ve been around them, and that selflessness is an inspiration to all of us.
They both have taught us a lot over the years, but perhaps one of the most important lessons is that nothing trumps family and that family always stays together and supports each other. I remember my grandpa teaching me that lesson as a kid, and he still repeats it today to his kids, grandkids and great-grandkids.
He has made it clear to all of us that we are to remember that lesson and pass it down to the next generation. It’s a simple lesson yet one of the most important I will ever learn and teach.
Every Memorial Day weekend is special as we honor those who gave their lives while serving in the U.S. military to protect our way of life today. I’m extra grateful this year for all of those men and women.
jdpeeper2@hotmail.com
