Thirty-five years ago, on June 12th, 1976, two of the most important individuals in my life became husband and wife! Debra Jean Klein, age 16, married Herbert Wiley Kelsay, age 21. Oh, gasp! That's right! And who would've thought it, they are still going strong today! I hope you both are having a fantastic time in Jamaica!
It's amazing, when you think about it, that they made it! Over half of marriages end in divorce, and marriages of teenagers are even more likely to fail. Now, dad wasn't a teenager, but he was still very young. For those of you doing the math, my sister wasn't born until January of 1978, so it wasn't that kind of wedding!
My parents met at a Christmas party. It was love at first sight! Don't you all wish it would've been that way for you?!! Six months later, they were married. Some said they'd never make it. After all, my dad was marrying a child, so to speak. I was told over and over again, growing up, that times were different then. I can tell you my daddy wouldn't have let me marry a 21 year old man at the ripe age of 16. For that matter, he wouldn't have let me marry at all! Not that my life's ambition at that time was marriage. I was looking more towards going to college and having a great career!
The past 35 year journey hasn't been without it's bumps and forks in the road. My mom became a mother at 18, and she stayed at home with my sister and me until we were both in school. That meant a single income for a family of four. We didn't eat out. We hunted deer and gardened. We wore secondhand clothes, and we didn't always have the coolest new item. What we had was far greater in value - family!
I didn't realize it growing up, but as I have looked back on my youth, I have discovered that I was very fortunate to have the upbringing I had! We worked hard picking rocks, cutting firewood, hauling brush, working livestock, etc. Nearly ever other weekend, we got to go visit our grandparents in San Antonio. All of our aunts, uncles and cousins would come over, and we always ended up having a great time! During the week, my mom would take at least one trip into town to run errands. She would drop us off at my Oma's (my great-grandmother), and we would spend the entire day watching her crochette, read her Bible and tend to her flowers. The days we spent at home, we played house and dolls and ran around outside. Our imaginations were endless! As we grew up, things changed, as they do. My sister went to school, and then I did, too. Mom cleaned houses, worked at a daycare, then went on to a successful nursing career. One thing always stayed the same, throughout my entire life, though. Each evening, my dad would drive up the driveway. He'd get out of his truck, and we, as a family, would meet him at the door, grabbing his lunchbox and offering up hugs for all of his hard work! This....was a constant. To this day, if we are "home" when he gets home, we still greet him at the door with those hugs!
As I stated before, my mom was very young when she took on the roles of wife and mother. She had to learn to cook and take care of a family at a much younger and faster pace than many others. She didn't go out with friends, and never, did my parents get to go out on a date! She put us first in everything she said, did and lived. I look back and realize how, indeed, devoted she was to our family! When she decided to go into nursing, it very well may have been the first thing she did with herself in mind. She had to begin with getting her GED. I can remember watching her toil over books and cry when she thought nobody was watching. It was a challenge. I remember when she found out that she passed the test and how proud she was! We were proud, too! She went on to work her way up the ladder. She started at a nursing home as a nurse's aide. Yep, she changed bedpans, wiped butts and every other thing she was required to do. The next step was to become an LVN. She had moved on to the hospital at this point. My sister and I were in high school at that time, so she got to work through all of this while dealing with our raging teenage years! We were so proud when our Mama walked that stage and got her LVN pin. She was, and still is, an inspiration for both my sister and myself! Since then, she has furthered her education and now works as a Registered Nurse!
My dad was also young when my parents married, but he had already learned the responsibilities of taking care of a family being one of the middle of 14 children. He has always been a hard worker, and was forced to choose work over his education late in his high school years. The school counselor wouldn't approve roofing as a co-op job, while he was in school, but it was the only job he could do that paid enough to help feed his family. So, that was it - he quit school to help support his family. When he and my mom married, he continued doing this kind of work. When they decided to move to Fredericksburg from San Antonio, he took a job at Mooney Aircraft in Kerrville for a short time and then, later, went to work for a local Fredericksburg contractor. When I was in college, he moved onto another local contractor, and will probably work there until my mom lets him retire! He's always worked hard, and his body is paying him back, now, for that. He still says, though, that he doesn't feel old! He just celebrated 56 years, and with any luck, we have many more of those to celebrate with him in the future!
To say that my parents are young at heart is an understatement! During my days in Aggieland, everyone loved when my parents came into town. They were always fun to "party with!" A few years ago, they decided that it was time to see all of the things they had wanted to, and they began taking trips, flying to Playa del Carmen, Puerta Vallarta, Alaska and Las Vegas. They drove to Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Colorado and Oklahoma. They bought a fifth wheel camp trailer, and they take it and the boat to go fishing several times a year. They put in a pool last year, and they have many more plans in the works! This year, being the 35 year mark, they decided on Jamaica! From all of the phone calls I have received, thus far, they are having a fabulous time!
My parents are such warm and giving individuals! They will do anything you ask of them, and they are the best grandparents to three wonderful grandchildren! They are not just my parents, they are my friends! I am so very blessed to have them in my life, and I can only hope that seeing their love grow throughout the years will only help me and Gene have a love just as great! So, to the dearest people to my heart, here's wishing you both a Happy 35th Wedding Anniversary, and many more to come!!!
