Marriage Reflection

A veil, a tux, a wedding feast,
A honeymoon of bliss.
Decades pass, each day begun
And ended with a kiss.

Children born of truest love,
A joy to watch them grow
And shape them with the gift of faith
To guide them when they go.

Times of joy and happiness,
Times of grief and sorrow,
But mostly just the daily life—
Yesterday, today, tomorrow.

But always lived out side-by-side
As team, as two-as-one.
Supporting, cheering, lifting up
In battles lost and won.

From hair of blonde or black or brown
To gray or mostly gone,
From thin and svelte to “more-to-love,”
From late nights to early yawns—

Though age has bent and settled in
And wearied brittle bones,
Yet the love of early on
Has only stronger grown.

A couple married 50 years,
60, 70 and above
Reflect to all the very truth
Of Christ’s eternal love.

By Natalie Hoefer

(Natalie Hoefer is a member of St. Monica Parish in Indianapolis and is a reporter for The Criterion.) †

The Criterion