Today, September 5th, is the sixty-seventh commemoration of their marriage. They pledged their vows to love for eternity in 1946 in the Salt Lake Temple. Then, they went on an epic honeymoon, with two of my dad's cousins...sharing the car. Hey, my mom pointed out that they did have their very own motel room at each stop. Then, they ended up returning to the tiny valley where two other generations of their respective families had lived, and started their family, too. This is where the math starts.
My parents had eight children. This was a large family, yes, you're right. We lived all in one house for just a short time, because the oldest child graduated from high school just two months before the youngest child turned one year old. But, it was only a three bedroom house. And, until I was a junior in high school, it had only one bathroom. We were a "close" family...elbow-to-elbow at our kitchen table.
When we older sisters started marrying and then reproducing, it wasn't long before the math kicked it up a notch. One year, there were four grandchildren born and then two years later, we did it again! Four more...and CoolGuy and I added a third child to our group the next year, too. Within just a few years of gaining sons-in-law, my parents became the grandparents of ten grandchildren. It had taken them nearly twenty years to get their eight. See how this human math works?
Eventually, between all eight of their children, they ended up with thirty four grandchildren. Now, many of those people are married, having children of their own. I believe the latest count of those we refer to as the "Third Crop" has reached forty-one. So, those two people, who fell in love decades ago, then started their family with high hopes, have ended up creating a progeny of 83 people. And there will be more, I'm sure.
Sadly, they only celebrated 38 years together before my dad died from leukemia. We continue to commemorate and cheer their decision to join their lives and start this generational equation moving along the slide rule of eternity. (Okay, okay, I couldn't help myself...I'm sure I'll be ticketed by the Metaphor Police.)
This is a family portrait from that one year we all lived in the same house. 1965?
1 comment:
My goodness, I'd never seen a picture of your mom. You look so much like her! What a wonderful post. My hubby and I are looking forward to a similar increase once ours start marrying and having families. We've brainwashed them from the time they were little that the purpose of life is to marry and have a family, preferably large! Thanks for sharing.
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