Emil & Josephine Sparshu
November 21, 1948
November 21, 1948
Love is our true destiny. We do not find the meaning of life by ourselves alone - we find it with another.
Thoma Merton
Thoma Merton
Less than 1% of North American marriages will celebrate a 60th wedding anniversary and if you would have asked our family five years ago, we probably wouldn't have expected to celebrate my grandparents' 60th either and yet that was the privilege we had last weekend. It was a celebration of them, the life they've lived (so far), the example they've set (and continue to set) and the family that comes behind them.
I can't imagine being a live that long, let alone being married that long and yet they still make it look so easy, even though we know it hasn't always been easy. It is such a joy to see a couple so deeply in love after so much life lived, a blessing to see what happens when a relationship is built on mutual respect, love and care and a beautiful example of what can happen when God is the center of life. I can only hope to follow their example. I am thankful for my dear Grandma and Grandpa.
This is the prayer my Grandma wrote for their anniversary:
Mom and Dad’s Prayer
By Josie Sparshu
Today Dear Lord we’re married sixty years
and there’s so much we haven’t done.
We hope Dear Lord you’ll let us live
until it’s sixty-one.
But then, we won’t have finished all we want to do.
Would you let us stay until it’s sixty-two?
So many places we want to go.
So much we want to see.
Do you think you could manage to make it sixty-three?
The world is changing very fast.
There is so much in store.
We’d like so very much to live to celebrate sixty-four.
And if by then we’re still alive,
we’d like to stay ‘til sixty-five.
More planes will be in the air,
so we’d really like to stick,
and see what happens to the world
when we celebrate sixty-six.
We know Dear Lord it’s much to ask
(and it must be nice in heaven).
But we would love to celebrate number sixty-seven.
We know by then we won’t be fast,
and sometimes we’ll be late.
But it would be pleasant to celebrate number sixty-eight.
We will have seen so many things,
and had a wonderful time
so we’re sure that we’ll be willing
to leave at sixty-nine
Now Lord, we’ve been married seventy years.
Our minds are still sound, we think.
We like it here. We can still get around
Yes, our time is limited, we know
and someday we’ll have to go.
We’re not greedy, or guided by fears
but we want to see what happens
in the next few years
We’re sure you’ve heard this plea before
but our bags will be packed and by the door
by the time we celebrate seventy-four
By Josie Sparshu
Today Dear Lord we’re married sixty years
and there’s so much we haven’t done.
We hope Dear Lord you’ll let us live
until it’s sixty-one.
But then, we won’t have finished all we want to do.
Would you let us stay until it’s sixty-two?
So many places we want to go.
So much we want to see.
Do you think you could manage to make it sixty-three?
The world is changing very fast.
There is so much in store.
We’d like so very much to live to celebrate sixty-four.
And if by then we’re still alive,
we’d like to stay ‘til sixty-five.
More planes will be in the air,
so we’d really like to stick,
and see what happens to the world
when we celebrate sixty-six.
We know Dear Lord it’s much to ask
(and it must be nice in heaven).
But we would love to celebrate number sixty-seven.
We know by then we won’t be fast,
and sometimes we’ll be late.
But it would be pleasant to celebrate number sixty-eight.
We will have seen so many things,
and had a wonderful time
so we’re sure that we’ll be willing
to leave at sixty-nine
Now Lord, we’ve been married seventy years.
Our minds are still sound, we think.
We like it here. We can still get around
Yes, our time is limited, we know
and someday we’ll have to go.
We’re not greedy, or guided by fears
but we want to see what happens
in the next few years
We’re sure you’ve heard this plea before
but our bags will be packed and by the door
by the time we celebrate seventy-four
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