Today is a special day. My husband and I are celebrating our 60th wedding anniversary. I used to be amazed when at events people were celebrated for 50 years of marriage or occasionally 60 years of marriage. Now we are one of those couples, who is celebrating 60 years.

Fewer than 5% of marriages last 50 years and fewer than that last 60 years. I guess that means that we are unique.

I’m definitely not writing an advice column on how to stay married. I have no answer for that. I do know that marriage is not easy nor is any other long term relationship. As a married couple, we both have our problems; but we do not let them lessen our love for each other. We’ve learned over the years that some things are not worth the argument. We have learned to deal with our differences and to celebrate the things we both enjoy doing together. We have so many precious memories that we love to reminisce about and we have a precious family that surrounds us with love. Our common love for God holds us together.

This year I thought that I had lost my husband because of a stroke. God answered my prayers and today he is fine. This near tragedy made me realize how lost I would be without my husband of 60 years.

Hopefully, in ten years we will celebrate our 70th anniversary! That would really be something to celebrate.

“After 60 years of marriage, I’ve learned that a successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.”

– Mignon McLaughlin

I must end with a joke about marriage. Here it is.

“A husband and wife had been married for 60 years and had no secrets except for one: The woman kept in her closet a shoe box that she forbade her husband from ever opening. But when she was on her deathbed—and with her blessing—he opened the box and found a crocheted doll and $95,000 in cash.

“My mother told me that the secret to a happy marriage was to never argue,” she explained. “Instead, I should keep quiet and crochet a doll.”

Her husband was touched. Only one doll was in the box—that meant she’d been angry with him only once in 60 years. “But what about all this money?” he asked.

“Oh,” she said, “that’s the money I made from selling the dolls.”