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Celebrating 50 years of marriage

By Karen Farris, Op-ed contributor Friday, August 23, 2019

Congratulations on your Golden Anniversary! Fifty years is a long time, and you two have written quite a love story. I haven’t told you just how much your marriage has inspired my own.

I’ve seen how your God-honoring choices often meant personal sacrifice—you did what was best for those you loved. Family and faith were always above personal gain.

The love you shared extended far and wide—even into the classrooms where you both taught hundreds of children.

Pam spent tireless hours making certain kids could read and helped struggling students learn math. Ed was often paired with the toughest kids.

I still marvel how he found the road into their hearts, melted through their tough exteriors, and showed them that their education was their future.

When retirement came it wasn’t the end of classrooms, but the start of after school Good News Clubs that encouraged young kids in more incredible ways. At a time when God was being removed from schools, Ed found a gentle way to bring Him back in.

Your wedding vows became real over fifty years—including sickness, sacrificial living, and the most vital—honoring one another with your fidelity and love.

In a culture that tends to throw-away, you’ve demonstrated the lasting power of holding on to what matters most—your love for God and one another.

A marriage that began in 1969, with the steady investment of your love, has yielded a return that is more than any of us can calculate. You are both great teachers and the most important lesson you taught me that love is what makes you rich.

Karen Farris served in the crisis pregnancy ministry — traveling thousands of miles and speaking to over 10,000 students about their life choices — for nearly a dozen years. She became a grant writer and helps find resources for projects that serve those in poverty, mainly children. She's been a blogger since 2010 — Friday Tidings — sharing stories of faith, life, and purpose to give hope in a hurting world.