26 Years Together

May 2, 2022

My parents were never in a long time boyfriend/girlfriend relationship. Their parents are friends and they decided to marry off their kids. Even with the arrangement, their marriage still lasts. Growing up, I have heard them joking around and laughing with each other. Of course, there were bumpy days too. I observed them and they have grown together in the relationship. As they grew old, there were only fewer disagreements but most of them were minor.

Both of them came from big families. My mom is the eldest among the girls. There were five of them. If you'll add the boys, they were seven in all. While my father is the second to the youngest among six siblings.

They were blessed with three kids. Two daughters and a son which has a heart like a girl. Although we weren't born with a silver spoon, they were still able to send us to school and provide us with our needs. Our mom would always tag us every Sunday when she goes to church. I remember how we love our dad doing the groceries, he would buy our wants too. We loved it more when he does the groceries than mom.

I witness how my mom adjusted to my dad's family's attitude. I witnessed how the two of them worked together so they can provide for our needs. They supported each other.

My father is very sensitive. He rarely gets angry but when he is, we know that we are really in trouble. His angry voice would make us want to be swallowed by the ground. Back in the day, he would use his belt to beat us aiming for our feet if we won't go home by 6 pm. He doesn't want us to stay in the neighbourhood. He just wanted us to be home when it is already dark.

Mom on the other hand loves to instil in us the value of responsibility. She would want us to be responsible for the household chores and not fight over who's gonna wash the dishes.

I'm grateful that God entrusted us to parents like them. They are imperfect but they make sure that our needs are met and that everything will be fine for us. They give us pieces of advice every mealtime and they are carefree sometimes. I sometimes feel that we're just classmates when we joke around.

Today marks the 26th anniversary of their marriage and I couldn't be more thankful to God for keeping the two together and for holding the family together. I pray that they will be granted good health and protection so they can enjoy life more. I pray that God will bless us, their kids, so we would be able to give back to them and allow them to experience the perks that they deserve to experience. I am looking forward to the day when my siblings and I will be financially independent. We would surely spoil them but until then, we are working hard to be in that state. We're praying that God will bless us.

Thanks for reading. Until then.