Fifty Shades of Bliss

I’ve been away from my writing

Rob and I at Buttle Lake

celebrating fifty years of marriage. That’s right, 50! I know, it’s a shocker. But just to explain, we were married in kindergarten. Yeah, that young. It’s hard to believe, but back in the 60s, anything was possible and rules were broken. Rob and I fell in love at such an early age, there was no stopping us. We were kids with a dream. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Before I continue, I’m sure you’re thinking with my post title that I’m trading on the wild success of the book, Fifty Shades of Grey. You’re right. Come to think of it, that would’ve been a good title for this post, as between Rob and I, I’m sure we could come up with fifty shades of grey on our heads alone. I haven’t even read the book, nor plan to read it, but it’s a great title.

Kayaking at Strathcona Park Lodge

For our fifty shades of bliss, we started our celebrations with a three day trip to Strathcona Park Lodge on Buttle Lake on Vancouver Island. Our daughters and grandchildren joined us in a cottage by the water, where we swam, kayaked, and cooked kielbasa and toasted marshmallows over the fire. We hiked, did the zip line, and the ropes course. In the evening, we opened a bottle of champagne and the grand-kids put on a play, re-enacting our courtship and marriage. Being so young, they were perfectly cast to play our younger selves.

Afterwards, we went on a cruise with dear friends and then, Rob and I spent two weeks in London, just the two of us. It’s been momentous, to say the least. We feel very blessed.

When you’ve been together as

At Skjolden,Norway

long as we have, you can’t help but reflect on your journey together. Though in appearance, it seems we’ve always been rosy, that’s not the case, and it’s not real life. We’ve had our share of storms and rainy days, even a few tornadoes when it looked like everything we had built together was lost. It wasn’t easy finding one another amongst the rubble. But we picked up the pieces and started again.

Of the fifty shades of bliss, the ones we keep honing are (in no particular order) – love, humility, respect, forgiveness, humor, kindness, gentleness, helpfulness, consideration, patience, communication, sex, friendship, honor, and loyalty.

I can’t say what might work for others, one shoe doesn’t fit all. Speaking of shoes, with the divorce rate as high as it is, I sometimes think marriages are thrown out like old shoes. The guy or the girl in the marriage might think it’s no longer any good; it’s served its purpose, worn around the edges, not the style I like anymore, so throw it out. In my mother’s day, you fixed that shoe. You put on new soles, shined it a bit, got new laces, and it was good to go. There’s something to be said for that.

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