THIS Is What 70 Years Looks Like

of Marriage! :)

My Grandpa Del and Grandma Helen have celebrated 70 years of marriage. He's 90 years young and she's 89.

Think of the changes they have seen. From the depression years...working for 17 cents (yes, cents) a day to today's $4.50 per gallon gas (they can't believe that one). When Grandpa was young he was a baseball player and local factories would come to the door of his home and offer him jobs with great wages if he would please play ball for their company team. :)

About the time I remember them, they were middle class yuppies. Well I suppose that was before 'yuppie' was a word, but they were. Two professionals, two incomes. A cabin 'up north' that they spent weekends at. I remember Grandma doing her nails a lot. :) And they had cable tv! They lived 4 hours away, but I remember going to spend a week in the summer and had so much fun. Even if we had to watch Hee Haw. ;)

They've been fiercely independent. Right up until they could no longer be. The last two years have been hard. Diabetes has taken both of Grandpa's legs in the last year. A bad fall has done irreversible damage to Grandma's neck. And they no longer can live alone and care for themselves. Most of the friends and colleagues are gone.

And so with a sigh of resignation they agreed to move to my family's home town. 4 hours from their place. And live in an assisted living center. It's really quite nice. A little apartment with privacy, but help whenever they need it. Meals prepared. The apartment cleaned for them. Someone to make sure they are always taking the right medicines (how many times did we hear "I don't know if I took my medicine today").

It's been a change. After 90 years, change is hard. But it was good to hear them say, "I think I can be happy here." And we can visit them every day, which certainly could never happen any other way.

Two days after arriving at the new place (which is really cute, each apartment having it's own house front and a main corridor that has street lamps and flowers and reminds me of Mackinac Island).......they celebrated their 70th Anniversay. We had a little party and had a few friends and family come. It was so sweet.

And it really was a celebration! Grandpa's sharp as a tack...........Grandma not so much LOL, but boy did we have fun!

Happy Anniversary to the best Grandparents in the world!