How Has It Been 36 Years Already?

It seems like in this mortal life we measure things by weeks, months and years. Yesterday Rich and I celebrated our 36th wedding anniversary. We were married on Good Friday in 1976 and Rich likes to say, "we haven't had a good Friday since." Sometimes that's a pretty true statement. As we went out to dinner last night we were talking about how could it have been 36 years already, my comment was, "this has been a really hard year for me." My parents are 82 years old and have been married for 62 years, I know there have been times that were really difficult for them and others where every thing seems to be going good. Rich and I come from very different backgrounds. His family weren't active in the church and had some alcohol issues. I had very strong religious parents who both worked hard as school teachers, but we had our own dysfunction. Rich and I met by accident while he and my brother Len were serving as mission companions in Canada. I have often wondered why all this happened, as we have struggled for many years trying to see "eye to eye." I see other couples who seem so happy and are on the same page all the time. I even have a friend who said, "we have never had an argument in our marriage." Wow! This last year as I saw my brother get divorced, the pain and sadness it caused their six kids, breaks my heart. How bad does it have to get to walk out on someone you have been with and shared so much with? On Sunday I heard a talk about how we don't know how much time we have left here on earth. We need to make each day count by doing something for someone, if we are down we need to lift someone else up. If we have health problems we need to seek out someone to help. It has taken me all these years to grieve the drowning death of angel Kamber. Every time I hear of a child who has died it brings up all those emotions in me that happened that day in July four years ago. I am so thankful for my testimony of the Savior and how he can make us whole by taking on our burdens. As I look at our family picture taken a month ago at all these children and grandchildren who I love so much. The 36 years of hard work have been worth every minute of it, and I can't wait to see Kamber on the other side.