“One of the good things that come of a true marriage is, that there is one face on which changes come without your seeing them; or rather there is one face which you can still see the same, through all the shadows which years have gathered upon it.”  ~George MacDonald

Last week I had lunch with a business associate I hadn’t seen for several years.  The thing I noticed first was that he was clean-shaven where I had always seen him with a beard.  He told me it was mostly gray now and since he couldn’t bring himself to color it, off it went.  A little surprised, I realized that my husband’s beard is mostly white now.  When did that happen?  I’m sure it has been a gradual change over our 34 year marriage, but I just never saw it.

My husband has always seen me through rose-colored glasses.  For him, I am forever the sixteen year old girl he fell in love with so long ago.  Don’t get me wrong, he knows I am older and not nearly so slim as I once was, but somehow he sees past those changes.  I have several friends who enjoy long marriages and I can tell you, their husbands seem to have those same rose-colored lenses.  Pondering the phenomena of my husband’s gray beard, I realized that I must have a pair myself.  To me, he will always be the charming guy with the great sense of humor, sparkling eyes and wonderful smile who asked me out on a bet.

Our daughters always say we are silly for each other.  Now I think I understand what they mean by that statement.  They see the us as we are.  They’ve never known the young couple who fell in love, married and still shine with the help of those rose-colored glasses we wear only for each other.

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