Grandparents are the Best

My parents visited over the weekend, a short visit as they were traveling home from Florida after spending the past week on a Bahamas cruise. Their first cruise and first time leaving the country (other than Canada, I think). They've been married fifty years, so it was time. Time for them to do something for themselves.

We always enjoy when the grandparents visit. The kids get excited to see their grandparents and it's a nice break from it just being mom and dad all the time. One son shows off his piano skills and the other two brag about their perfect report card, anything to elicit praise. My two-year-old can't get enough of his grandfather's hugs while my four-year-old cries because he can't make the perfect card for his grandmother. Good times.

In honor of my parents being such great parents and grandparents, I'd like to pay them a little tribute for today's post. As I mentioned before, my parents have been married 50 years and raised five children. They now have 22 beautiful grandchildren. They have a lot to be proud of and thankful for.

So what does it take to be married to the same person for 50 years? I'd say a lot of patience!! Have they had a perfect marriage? No. Has it been easy? Of course not.

But they stuck with it. Even during the hard times.

I think that is such a valuable lesson, especially in today's society. It is so easy to just throw in the towel and say, "I can't stand him/her. I don't love him/her anymore. We couldn't make it work." And maybe that is the right thing for some people, but sometimes we have to stick it out through the hard times in order to make it to greener pastures.

It isn't going to be easy. Ever. But it will be worth it.

I love that my mom knows when my dad is tired and needs to go to bed, and my dad knows that my mom won't rest until she's done every last load of laundry. I love that after all these years, the best day of my father's life was marrying my mother. I love that they are able to put aside their differences-- because heaven knows they don't agree on everything--and they still love each other in their own quiet way. They may not kiss or hold hands or show tokens of affection in public, but they don't need to. They have a love that endures the test of time. A love that will last forever.