After 60 Years : romantic short stories for married couples

 The atmosphere was full of life and celebration. The hotel reception room was full of friends, family, and church fellowship group members who had come to rejoice with Mark and Jane for their 60th wedding anniversary.

Mark and Jane’s children and grand children were all over the place in that reception room. There was food everywhere and no alcohol anywhere as a party hosted by true Christians should be. Everybody had been talking and chatting joyfully, it truly was a special day.

Mark stood up to get every one’s attention. He gently hit the empty glass of lemonade in his hand repeatedly with the cutlery in his other hand, and watched all eyes turn to face him.

When he had gotten every ones attention, including the attention of his youngest grand kids who were having full running around and playing their own little game; Mark said that he has a poem written for his wife who has been with him for 60 years.

Mark normally didn’t always stand up for long because of his age so he brought out a carefully folded but long piece of paper from his jacket’s front pocket and then he sat down to read as the whole room was filled with silence.

He cleared his throat, and then he began:

“Before the first day I saw your face/

I was like an explorer lost out at sea/

Who the storm made its victim/

It tossed me on an island with only trees/

I was lonely and searching for someone/

Each step only made me more lonesome/

Not only was I lost, but I also had no one/

No one who could understand me/

Like the birds understand the trees/

No one to share my world with/

Who would share her world with me/

No one I could laugh with/

So deeply that my heart would sing/

No one whose tears would be mine/

No one I’ll hunger to make smile/

Without you my life wasn’t empty/

Because I had Christ living in my heart/

It was just lacking one great blessing/

The place for you to fill in my heart/

You alone could fill that space/

It demanded to be filled or it won’t seize to ache/

The ache that bled was like a heart break/

But unlike a heart break it beat with Hope with grace/

Like a lemon that’s bitter and sweat/

Was each ache that sort your being/

I didn’t even know you name/

Yet it was your name that kept me awake/

I had no idea what your face looked like/

But it was your face that never left my mind/

Like a hunter groping through the woods/

I searched for you cause I needed you/

I had no picture for whom I looked/

But I knew I would know you when I found you/

It was like my eyes didn’t need to see/

I could keep them closed to rest in the breeze/

It was my heart that was the thing that was leading me/

It was the eyes of my heart/

That led me down your street/

It wasn’t instincts, No! it wasn’t it/

It wasn’t a compass either, I guarantee this/

It was something in you Something about you/

That pulled my heart along with me/

To fall in love at your feet/

That first day I say your face/

I remember it like it was only yesterday/

I knew that God had brought you my way/

I knew that it was fate/

Fate smiled upon me that day/

Even more than it was fate/

I know for a fact today/

That is was a divine appointment/

A divine meeting I’d say/

That I stumbled and fell that day at your feet/

While the other boys laughed away/

I have never been shy with girls/

But you changed that that day/

I still remember your little chuckle/

And then you did something that made my day/

You offered to help me stand up/

You didn’t just chuckle and walk away/

Even the feel of your touch took the hurt away/

And then you told me your pretty name/

And as soon as I heard that name/

Fireworks began to shoot in every part of my brain/

I knew that that was the name/

The name I didn’t know but prayed/

Every single day, would come my way/

And there you were, the answer for which I prayed/

Days later, we both went on our first date/

That date marks a genesis on the calendar of my days/

Through out our courtship days/

Everyday was a new day/

I brushed my teeth more times than I used to/

And used my “reserved for special occasions” cologne too/

But of a truth, everyday is a special occasion with you/

I ironed my suit three times/

So I would look Sharp and Smooth/

I gelled my hair with such style/

My hair style became both young and old/

I made sure it was so cool it was all of the above/

If there was shoe polish for teeth/

I would have waxed my teeth/

So when I smile at you/

It would be like a touch light is looking at you/

Our courtship days?/

Oh! each day was truly a new day/

And with each passing day/

I was convinced I needed you everyday/

You were like me, faithful and true/

Faithful to God like he’s faithful to you/

We honored the 6th commandment/

And it made us happier too/

There is no doubt/

That that helped us bloom/

I still remember well when I proposed to you/

You held your hands over your mouth/

You said, “Oh – My – Gosh”/

I was holding my breath/

And my heart ran a marathon/

The suspense was suffocating/

I felt I was at the door of a dungeon/

But beside that door was the door of sweet paradise/

As you said Yes I was thrust into paradise/

I know you remember I jumped up and down/

And ran all across the street/

But what you don’t know is that/

My heart was doing front – flips and back – flips/

After all the planning and arrangements/

There was call for war/

Another one of those wars that they call/

A predecessor of peace/

This evil thing called war/

Was trying to separate you from me/

They forced me to get drafted/

But I said I don’t want to kill/

They forced me to join anyway/

And said, “We can put your medical training to good use/

You can treat wounded soldiers/

And they would be more than you think they would”/

And thus, I went to war/

And my marriage went on hold/

There was not a day I thought not of you/

And dreamed I would return alive for you/

You could have easily walked away/

But you waited for me every single day/

You prayed for me both night & day/

I’m pretty convinced it was you that kept me safe/

When I returned we planned our wedding again/

And then we got married that very month/

You gave us our first child, the following year/

The doctor said he would not walk/

But once again my Queen you prayed/

He walked when he came of age/

Like was the doctor said was never said/

You have been strong when I have been weak/

On the inside you are stronger than me/

With every new challenge that we faced/

I’m glad that it was with you that I prayed/

As time went on, other kids came/

They came with joy and They came with pain/

But once again being Super as you are/

You came through and kept everything in place/

If it wasn’t for you and your Faith/

Mixed with your Love that shone everyday/

This family would be today Scattered in graves all around the state/

With your strength we trained our kids well/

Now they in turn have trained their kids well/

Training them in they way that they should go/

So they would not turn and rust when they grow old/

I boldly say to you today/

If I was given a second chance to live my life again/

I would go back to the very first day I met you And I would fall in love all over again/”

After Mark finished his beautiful poem, some of his daughters and grand daughters where crying; while his sons and grandsons pretended like they didn’t feel like crying. Everybody was moved and everybody was clapping.

Suddenly, everyone heard a scream from one of Mark’s little Grand daughters.

“IT’S GRANDMA. GRANDMA IS DEAD.”

Then everyone turned and looked at their mother and Grand mother. The room went cold with fear. She was sitting motionless in her chair. What a time to die. How could she die now?

Mark lost his footing as he almost fell down and fainted.

His son sitting closest to him caught him just in time. Mark was still conscious. He held his hand over his heart but you could hear his heart beat from half way across the room.

Some of the ladies in the room had started to cry but then they heard a sound.

They listened carefully.

It was the sound of Grandma snoring. She wasn’t dead she was only asleep. She had fallen asleep towards the end of the really long poem. Well, she was old; the precious angel. You can’t blame her.

Mark breathed a sigh of relief. His heart – beat started returning to normal. Thank God she wasn’t dead.

Mark looked over the table at her while she slept. She still looked like the beautiful princess that he met and fell in love with.

Mark walked around the table to where his wife sat.

He kissed he on her fore – head as she slept and said, “SLEEP TIGHT MY BEAUTIFUL PRINCESS. WHEN YOU WAKE UP, IT WOULD BE YET ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL DAY OF LOVE FOR YOU AND ME AGAIN.”

The End.