THE BLOG

In just a few days our nation will celebrate its 249th birthday. That means the Declaration of Independence is celebrating its 249th birthday as well. With the signing of that Declaration by members of the 2nd Continental congress on July 4, 1776, our nation was born, emerging from a womb of great discontent with our past and present, but also with a great hope for a new tomorrow. Whereas all of the Declaration is important, what sets it apart for me and causes it to be such a powerful, beloved document is the preamble – and not even all of the preamble. For me it is the first 106 words which pack such great power and which resonate with me and others 249 years later.

Her name was Mae. She passed away recently one week shy of her 100th birthday. Much about Mae intrigued me – her longevity, clarity of mind, physical condition. Another was her fondness for technology. At age 97 she told me, “I love computers, cell phones, email, and zoom.” But what intrigued me most was what I learned from her family members as we put the final touches on her Celebration of Life Service.

Ask a hundred people what is the most important ingredient for a marriage to last until death comes and various answers might include love, compatibility, compromise, communication, honesty, openness to change.  As important as each of those ingredients are, as I see it the single most important ingredient of a long-lasting marriage is commitment.  Mine and Lynne’s marriage has demonstrated commitment in three key areas.