Today, it’s been 85 years since my parents, Elmer and Esther, said “I do.” Can you imagine? Eight and a half decades has passed since that shy young couple met during their high school play, Mummy and the Mumps. It was the kind of country school performance where the costumes were homemade, the lights flickered a bit, and everyone’s parents sat in the front row with big grins. Somewhere between the curtain rising and the applause at the end, the young mummy and his leading lady fell in love, and the rest, became our family history.
After graduation came the real work. Elmer and Esther traded school books for farm tools, building a life together on the land. They worked from sunrise to sunset, side by side, with laughter, patience, and a quiet faith that carried them through every season. When their first daughter arrived on Elmer’s birthday, their hands were already full with more than chores.
During the war years, they ran a Japanese neighbor’s pig farm while his family was sent to Manzanar. This was a selfless act of compassion that said everything about who they were.
Two years later, Daughter #2 was born, followed by Daughter #3 six years later. In 1955, along I came. As Daughter #4, I was quite the disappointment to those holding out hope for a son to carry on the family name. Two and a half years later, Daughter #5 completed the lineup, and our home was officially overflowing with pink dresses, hair ribbons, and shiny patent-leather shoes. How my parents survived 68 years of marriage surrounded by all that girlhood chaos is still a mystery. A lifetime of stories with plenty of drama, comedy, and love!
But they didn’t just survive — they flourished. Their marriage was full of laughter, hard work, and adventure. Once retired from full-time farming, they became world travelers, exploring every continent they desired. From dusty back roads to foreign cities, they saw the world hand-in-hand, proving that love, when nurtured, only grows stronger with time.
Today, I picture them together on their heavenly stage, chuckling over their old lines from Mummy and the Mumps. Elmer still the jokester in his bandages, Esther still rolling her eyes in that affectionate way that said everything. Still performing their greatest role, together.
Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad! We’ll see you on the other side.