47 years next February

Wife and I met when I was 19 and she was 21. She was a single mom, and my folks (my mom in particular) didn't approve.

We married after about about 6 months of dating. It was a civil ceremony in the East St. Louis city hall in front of judge Billy Jones. I had to carry her through a foot of snow to get to the door.

We had a son 8 1/2 months later.

We had all the usual problems with a new marriage, money, kids, family, etc. The only thing I can say was perfect was that we had an extremely hot and physical love life. After all these years my wife will admit that she had absolutely no complaints about sex...

Less than 3 years after we were married I was in a horrific motor cycle wreck. My left leg was almost severed at the knee.
I had 3 compound fractures below the knee, about 10 simple fractures, and bled out in the emergency room.....

My family Dr. happened to be in the trauma center that night, recognised me, and got me on a large bore iv with lots of whole blood, or my story would have bee finished right there.

I was in a hip cast for 8 months, crutches for 26 months, and off work for 3 years and 3 days.

During this whole time my wife was like a rock! She stood by side and took care of my every need and raised the 2 boys on her own. I will never forget the care and attention she gave me during that trying time.......

After I got back on my feet, Her baby brother was having some trouble with living in East St. Louis, and came to live with us. He stayed with us grade 3 till he was through high school.

I had some issues early on with my step son, but gradually worked it out. He has only known me as dad for the last 47 years, and I believe he would willingly take a bullet for me without even flinching. He is a good man, and I am proud to call him son.

Over the years my wife lost both parents, and her grandparents. Her grandfather was a fine old gentleman from Armenia, and his first words to me when we were introduced was "Do you work?" and "Where is job"?. When he found I was working at McDonnell Douglas in St. Louis he was very pleased...Good job, he said, and we became fast friends.

When he heard about my accident he said if someone didn't take him to the hospital he would walk (he was around 90).

I remember waking up and seeing him leaning over my hospital bed with tears in his eyes....Fine old gentleman.

Our son developed schizophrenia ar 22. He stayed with us throughout his illness, till his suicide 8 years later.

The hardest thing in the world is to wake up every morning to the sound of the woman you love crying over her dead child.

She still blames herself and says we should have gotten him more or better treatment, but I know he could not have done any better than he did at home with his mom.....

My son died a month to the day after my mothers funeral, and within a year I also lost my job of 20 years, and had to sell our home and move.

Again, my wife was my rock, and we stuck together....

I am now retired, and my wife has recently lost 2 sisters to cancer. their illnesses were over a period of almost 3 years and she is having a hard time dealing with her grief. Recently, I was getting a lot of anger directed at me, but I had to have some surgery, and my illness snapped my wife out of a lot of her mental state and she was back to being my rock.....

So what is the secret to an almost half century marriage?

I can only quote the cemetary representative "Get a lot while you are young".

I really believe that the bonding of a rich and loving sex life gives a marriage the strength it needs to endure.