Thursday, June 7, 2012

Marriage is forever: Frank and Marie








A couple of years ago I watched Frank and Marie Milford being interviewed on English Television. It was the occasion of their 80th wedding anniversary.
Frank, just turning 102, was beginning to go deaf and had chosen to go for a nap while his wife, Marie, was holding forth on the secrets of a long and happy union.

She was waxing lyrical about contentment and love when the interviewer asked whether she was still in love after 80 years.

"Of course, of course" she replied "There's nobody like my Frank."

"But what about him?" came the question, pointing  towards Frank in his armchair.

Quick as a flash Marie raised her voice: 

"Frank, Frank are you awake?"   

"Yes Dear."

"Do you still love me?"

"Yes Dear." 

"Alright, you can finish your nap."

And there you have it. Nothing too earth shattering. Two people loving each other and staying faithful from 1927 to 2007, and the man making sure he had the last word..............."Yes Dear"

Jubilate.

Ian

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Darby and Joan the originals







I'm sure you'll agree with me that this picture of Darby and Joan is unique.

The original couple lived in England and their lives spanned eighty years between 1650 and 1730.
They owned a printing shop; he being John Darby and she being Joan his wife.

A poem was written about them which is a little gem.

"Old Darby with Joan by his side
You've often regarded with wonder.
He's dropsical, she is sore-eyed
Yet they're never happy asunder"

When you vow to live with each other "until death do us part"
you are never sure how that final act will play out.

One thing is certain, if you are granted a long life, you will see the bloom of youth fade in your spouse and the effect of the passing years inevitably encroach.

That's when the prelude of that vow:

 "to love, to honour and to cherish"  displays its full worth, proving that true beauty is far more than skin deep.

Jubilate.

Ian



Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Longevity: Darby and Joan





This fine couple were named Darby and Joan by the missionaries.
Their home was in the African rain forests. That fact is subsidiary to the salient one, namely that Darby and Joan had been in a faithful, life long relationship as tribal leaders in their jungle kingdom.

Prince Darby was not wearing his gold braid when this photo was taken, nor Queen Joan her crown and ermine cape yet everything that was said yesterday about Philip and Elizabeth is pertinent to our Pygmy friends.

An old German proverb reads thus:

"A blind wife and a deaf husband make for a perfect marriage"

I suspect that old Darby chose not to hear quite a lot over the years; likewise Joan must have had wonderfully selective eyesight.
As far as she is concerned Brad Pitt himself has got his arm around her.
Their simple dignity caused me to select them for this morning's BWI.
I hope they blessed you and made you thankful for your own marriage.

Jubilate.

Ian

Monday, June 4, 2012

Marriage: The Secret of Longevity



This has been quite a love story. Philip and Elizabeth, as of this year married 66 years.

It might be worthwhile asking what has kept this couple together in the most public marriage this century has ever seen.

From November 1947 to the big bash this weekend in London, the queen and her royal prince have lived out their lives in the full glare of  T.V. cameras, the curiosity of millions of their subjects and the merciless critiquing of the world wide media.

Other celebrities have come and gone, other "made in heaven" marriages have melted and disappeared and even three of their children have been through tearing divorces. Yet, as enduring as the pillars of Buckingham Palace, Philip and Elizabeth remain, and remain obviously in love.

Can I suggest that they have showcased three indispensable components of their union to the millions within the commonwealth.

1) A rooted faith in Christ that sees them both, Sunday by Sunday wherever they are on earth, join with other Christians in worship.

2) A sense of duty and high calling that has carried through into their later years without a thought of retirement.

3) A deep natural affection that sees them share a cup of tea and a  kiss before they retire to their separate bedrooms for the night.

Faith, purpose and natural affection. Nothing too exciting, but the stuff that life long marriages are made from.

Jubilate

Ian

Sunday, June 3, 2012

marriage longevity











Forty four years ago this weekend Pauline and I tied the marital knot. This shot was taken outside the parish church in the village of Newburgh in South West Lancashire.

The village of New Burgh was "new" 600 years ago and during that period a lot of people have entered into married life in the parish church and a lot of people have ended in the grave yard that surrounds it. Two of them happen to Pauline's parents who are lying in repose in a common grave just a few meters from where we are standing.Part of the secret of longevity in marriage is given in those grand old marriage vows:

 "For better, for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death us do part."

Pauline's parents came from a generation that believed in the solemnity of those vows. They do not represent a contract nor do they represent a commitment. They frame a covenant which is the deepest and most sacred engagement into which two human beings can enter.

Forty four years ago when I said "I do", I DID. and so did Pauline.

Along with other reasons the secret of a long and happy marriage is two people keeping their word to each other.

What may I ask is wrong with that?

Jubilate.

Ian