Christian Weddings

What Couple Inspires You?

There was an article today about the longest married couple in the U.S. which I've linked here and it prompted me to wonder, who is a married couple that inspires you and why?  What do they do to make their marriage work?
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Re: What Couple Inspires You?

  • My parents! 25 years and nuts about each other! Like disgusting, make-out-in-the-kitchen-like-we're-in-highschool nuts. I can't wait to gross out my kids in 25+X years ;)
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  • Same here... Parents! They have been married for 28 years and work really hard to make it work every day. My mom is my best friend and we have gotten to the point where we can really talk about things and she has really opened up about how they have worked at things and different areas they have struggled in. It is this honesty and effort that I really admire. Also, they got married when my mom was 19, my dad was 22, they worked each other through school, raised three kids, and are still working to get to each other every day and love each other the best way they can. 
  • My parents had an amazing marriage right up to the day my father passed away. I always think about them :) 
  • Great article, Lisa! The man doesn't look 100 in the video! 

    I also have to say my parents. They have been married for 30 years (will be 31 in April) and they still hold hands and kiss all the time. I remember asking my mom who her best friend was when I was little and in middle school and high school and she always said my dad was. I remember always saying "you have to have a GIRL best friend". I never understood it, but now that I am married and my husband is MY best friend, I get it. My parents' marriage is an inspiration. 

    Also, my grandparents. They have been married for over 60 years. My Pap can barely hear and my Mim's health isn't what it used to be, but they are still together, helping each other everyday (at 91 and almost 82 years old). They won the anniversary dance at our wedding. Mim's advice to us was "always stay as much in love as you are today."
  • Mine is my grandparents.  They were married for 70 years when my grandpa died.  They stuck with each other through a lot - World War II, grandpa getting badly wounded and being in the hospital for a year, the death of their daughter from leukemia at age 10 and so many other things.  The fact that they were so devoted to each other and loved each other so much up until the end is my inspiration.  If they can make it through those tough times, I feel like we can make it through anything!
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  • My in-laws.  Hearing the stories of how they started out as two 19 year olds doing travelling campus ministry, starting campus churches at colleges across the mid-west, and then packing up their (then) 5 children and heading to Maryland to start another church, where they've now been for 23 years is incredible.  H says he never saw them fight in front of them (he was the youngest, though, and they've said they ran out of things to fight about by the time he was born) and he always only saw respect between them and from them.  Their relationship is inspiring, their past wasn't easy, and they seem to love each other more every time I'm with them.  
  • My parents.  They have been married for almost 40 years and they are a great example as to what I want my marriage to be like. The things I have seen them go through together as a couple the past couple years has taught me so much.
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  • Another one who says her own parents!  My parents have been married for 41 years and not only still love each other but genuinely like each other and want to spend time with each other as friends.  They do all kinds of things together, they try new hobbies for one another, it's pretty awesome.  I also think my parents were a bit "ahead of their time" - my mom has been the breadwinner since before I was born, and by the time I was in 3rd grade she was the bread winner by a LOT.  She and my dad have never had clearly defined gender roles - dad did laundry, mom mowed the lawn, etc - and that really shaped my view of what marriage should be.  My ILs also have a long marriage, but I don't see the give and take that I see in my parents' marriage, and my theory is it's because they're very rigidly confined to their gender roles.  FIL never made dinner, never changed a diaper, never did dishes. It took a long time for H to learn to let go of the gender roles, but since he has we've been a great team.

    Sorry, that turned preachier than I wanted it to Embarassed
  • This post makes me sad.  My maternal grandparents divorced when my mom was little (she was the youngest of 9, btw) then my grandpa died in 1974.

    My paternal grandparents are still legally married, but there have been affairs and they each have their own separate bedroom, bathroom, and even living area in their house.

    My own parents have filed for divorce three times and reconciled over and over usually due to the trouble and expense a divorce entails.  My mom has cheated on my dad multiple times.

    So yeah, I guess I'm winging it.
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  • @ sessionswedding--I'm right there with you sister. "Wingin it".

    That being said, I am a sucker for love and I thoroughly enjoy meeting and hearing about couples who have stood the test of time.  Just yesterday, a coworker of mine was telling me how she met her husband 20 years ago--and they knew within a couple weeks of meeting that they were meant for each other. My pastor and his wife have been married for 20+ years... And my pastor's parents have been married for over 50 years...

    So, even though I have no official role model, I still gain inspiration from other couples in hopes that I can have a long, happy marriage of my own.
  • I feel like because I DON'T have someone to model after, I HAVE to be that model.  Like DH and I MUST defeat the odds and be the best married couple ever, not just for ourselves but so our kids have someone to look up to.
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  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_christian-weddings_inspires?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:464687ae-7bc1-4360-9aea-999e11f1e1adDiscussion:6570334d-7123-4070-ae00-4a98cfc7996aPost:78dc8ede-0808-4530-95d9-7185d8bb4a90">Re: What Couple Inspires You?</a>:
    [QUOTE]I feel like because I DON'T have someone to model after, I HAVE to be that model.  Like DH and I MUST defeat the odds and be the best married couple ever, not just for ourselves but so our kids have someone to look up to.
    Posted by sessionswedding[/QUOTE]

    <div>Sessions, is there a couple in your church or someone who has mentored you that you can look up to? Maybe even friends parents or someone who would be willing to walk with you through marriage? </div><div>
    </div><div>We are blessed that our parents are still together, but we still sought out other couples older than us to help show us the ropes. </div><div>
    </div><div>Drama's been married 10 years, she could do it ;)</div>
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  • My ILs.

    We had an anniversary dance at our reception.  The longest married couple lives down the street from ILs.  They're pretty awesome too. 
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  • I admire a friend from an old church who got married when she was 18 and her husband was deploying to Afghanistan. They went through 3 deployments and he was finally coming home for good and she was so excited. A week after he was back on US soil, they were in a terrible accident and he now has a traumatic brain injury. He was in a coma for over two months and he's probably never going to be the same, but she hasn't stopped loving him. She's got a blog (caledarling.blogspot.com) that inspires me every time I read it.
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  • In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/cultural-wedding-boards_christian-weddings_inspires?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Cultural Wedding BoardsForum:464687ae-7bc1-4360-9aea-999e11f1e1adDiscussion:6570334d-7123-4070-ae00-4a98cfc7996aPost:7e64d424-b72c-4132-a1f1-7b4a38ff90a2">Re: What Couple Inspires You?</a>:
    [QUOTE]In Response to Re: What Couple Inspires You? : Sessions, is there a couple in your church or someone who has mentored you that you can look up to? Maybe even friends parents or someone who would be willing to walk with you through marriage?  We are blessed that our parents are still together, but we still sought out other couples older than us to help show us the ropes. <strong> Drama's been married 10 years, she could do it ;)
    </strong>Posted by RebeccaJac[/QUOTE]

    Well, 9, but close enough!  And you know I would.
  • Yes, Sessions. You will be the couple that inspires others!  You know all the things not to do and how much those things hurt a marriage.  I predict that you and your DH will be able to learn from others' mistakes and build a strong marriage!!
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  • I think it's gonna be up to me an mine to set the example in our family.

    I did have some fantastic friends in highschool. SIX kids, two parents, THREE bedrooms, and ONE BATHROOM. All of their children have survived to adulthood. It was amazing to me to see a family that fit so closely to the ideal. I thought I had it pretty good, and my family is pretty messed up (more than I thought then, even). Seeing them interact was amazing to me, and really inspired me to try to do the right thing by my own family.
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