The kindness of strangers...

Yesterday was Pete and my third wedding anniversary...yay us! And we decided to celebrate simply this year by going out for a nice meal. Grayson went to the Macaulay's to hang out and we enjoyed a fabulous meal at Tre Cugini in downtown GR.

Seated at the table next to us were two older couples, all wearing name tags around their necks. We were only seated a short time and were looking over the wine list when we heard whispers from the table next to us like, "are they married?" and "are they celebrating?". We ordered our bottle of wine recommended by the waitress and when she came back to our table to uncork it (and for those that know "the cork story" I reminded Pete to refrain from well, you know) one of the older gentlemen at the table next to us (that had the cutest white handlebar mustache by the way) informed us that they took care of our bottle of wine. Their way of saying "congrats" on celebrating our anniversary.

We thanked the older fellow for his kindness and generosity and spoke with them for several minutes. They were in town for a Lyons convention (not sure what that is but man, those Lyons are nice people!) and were from Reno, Nevada.

My point for telling this story is not that they bought us the wine although it was so kind of them, and such a crazy act of throwing money around recklessly with strangers...we knew they couldnt be of Dutch descent living in West Michigan! It was that they shared with us that one couple had been married for over 50 years and the other on their way to over 60 years. So fitting for us to have been seated right next to them in this not at all crowded restaurant...and to strike up a conversation. You could tell just by watching them interact that they were still very much in love with their spouse as well. And as I watched them interact out of the corner of my eye, I wondered what kinds of things they had encountered in their marriages...the wonderful times, the harder times, the joys and laughter and the tears and sadness. Because let's be honest-marriage is all of that. And more. Because as we are still relatively new at this marriage-thing and even newer still at this parenting-thing our journey is just beginning and we like to ponder where we will be in the future. How we get there will be just as interesting as where we end up.

And as we remembered back to year one of marriage and agreed that it was tough at times but that each year has gotten better and better and we have learned and grown together it was like a Hallmark moment (which is what I was going for since I didnt get a card-oops) but that was ok because that is what you are supposed to do on anniversaries.

We enjoyed a fabulous meal, including a scrumptious dessert, and headed out. While walking the quiet streets back to our car we both shared the same thought...we want to be like that some day. We want to be the old married couple who happens to sit next to a young married couple celebrating their union in a special way. We want to say "congrats" with a bottle of wine. We want to say with that bottle of wine the same thing that the two couples next to us from Reno, Nevada were saying...we've been at this a long time kids and it's been one heck of a ride...ENJOY.