65 Years of Bliss!

Never having been married it's hard for me to imagine sharing my life with someone for a short time let alone 65 years! But I want to honor Al and Arline Jensen for doing just that. The Jensen's are the parents of my friend, Tom, and this week they celebrated 65 years of marriage. I've gotten to know them over the years, enjoyed Thanksgiving Dinner with their family, and sat in their basement eating popcorn while watching home movies of Tom when he was a kid!! Too funny!

Whenever I'm around Al and Arline it's been very evident that they don't just love each other...they genuinely like each other. I've never seem either of them without a smile on their face or a kind word on their lips. 65 years of wedded bliss. I looked up the word "bliss"…this is how dictionary.com defined it…

Bliss - noun
1. A state of supreme happiness; utter joy or contentment: wedded bliss
2. Theology. The joy of heaven
3. Heaven: paradise: the road to eternal bliss
4. Archaic. A cause of great joy or happiness

They could be the poster couple for bliss! I know that I'm probably always seeing them on their best behavior and that they probably have been through their share of heartache in their lives but I can honestly say that they are "glass half-full" kind of people. It got me thinking...just what have they experienced in those 65 years? I chose just one year from every decade of their marriage to give you an idea…

1942 - Franklin Delano Roosevelt is president of the US; The Battle of the Midway begins, marketing the first major defeat for the Japanese; Fire at the Coconut Grove nightclub in Boston kills 491; Forced detention of 110,000 Japanese Americans on the West Coast begins; German General Rommel is defeated at the Battle of El Alamein; Pan American Airlines becomes the first commercial airline to have a flight go around the world; Muhammad Ali was born; St. Louis Cardinals win the World Series; Washington Redskins win the NFL championships; Toronto Maple Leafs win the Stanley Cup; Casablanca premieres at the Hollywood Theater in New York City

1952 - Harry Truman is president of the US; Elizabeth II becomes Queen of England after the death of her father, George VI; First explosion of a hydrogen device takes place at Eniwetok Atoll in the Pacific; Christine Jorgensen becomes the first medically and legally certified transsexual; US troops complete their pull-out from Japan; Dwight D. Eisenhower is elected President of the US; Sister Theresa becomes Mother Theresa and begins her charity work in Calcutta; New York Yankees win the World Series; Detroit Lions win the NFL championship; Detroit Red Wings win the Stanley Cup; Charlotte's Web by E.B. White is published

1962 - John F. Kennedy is president of the US; John Glenn becomes the first American in orbit when he circles the earth three times in the Mercury capsule Friendship 7; Cuban Missile Crisis occurs when Soviet offensive missile build-up is discovered; Cuban Missile Crisis is averted when President Kennedy and Soviet premiere Krushchev agree to remove missiles; Maryiln Monroe is found dead in her Los Angeles home; The drug thalidomide is recalled when it becomes linked with severe birth defects in thousands of children worldwide; Pantyhose becomes available for sale in U.S. department stores; New York Yankees win the World Series; Green Bay Packers win the NFL championship; Toronto Maple Leafs win the Stanley cup; Lawrence of Arabia wins the Oscar for best picture; The Beatles release their first recording: the single "Love Me Do"/"P.S. I Love You"; Johnny Carson debuts as host of The Tonight Show.

1972 - Richard Nixon is president of the US; President Nixon approves NASA's space shuttle, a reusable spacecraft, at a cost of $5.5 billion;
Nixon arrives in China for an 8 day visit, which he calls a "journey for peace"; While campaigning for the presidency Alabama Governor George C. Wallace is shot and seriously wounded; Five men are arrested in the Watergate office complex in DC for breaking into the offices of the Democratic National Committee; Hurricane Agnes strikes the East Coast causing 117 deaths; First scientific hand-held calculator (HP-35) os introduced for $395; Oakland Athletics win the World Series; Dallas Cowboys win Superbowl VI; Boston Bruins win the Stanley Cup; The Godfather is the top grossing film; Pink Floyd debuts "The Dark Side of the Moon" during a performance at London's Rainbow Theater; "You've Got a Friend" by Carole King wins a Grammy for song of the year; The Price is Right premieres on CBS

1982 - Ronald Reagan is president of the US; The space shuttle Columbia completes its first operational flight; Actor John Belushi is found dead of a drug overdose in a West Hollywood hotel; Automobile manufacturer John Delorean is arrested and charged with possession of 59 pounds of cocaine; The first artificial heart is implanted in American Barney Clark; The Cable News Network, or CNN, is launched; 750,000 people rally against nuclear weapons in New York City's Central Park; Time Magazine's Man of the Year was for the first time given to a non-human, a computer; The first computer virus, written by Rich Skrenta, escapes into the wild;
St. Louis Cardinals win the World Series; San Francisco 49ers win Superbowl XVI; New York Islanders win the Stanley Cup; E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is the top grossing film; Ozzy Osbourne bites the head off of a live bat thrown at him during a performance, later hospitalized with rabies; "I Love Rock 'N Roll" by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts spends the most time at the top of the US charts; Cheers, Family Ties, Silver Spoons, and Fame premiere

1992 - George H.W. Bush is president of the US; Hurricane "Andrew" becomes the most costly in US history with $20 billion worth of damage; Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton is elected President of the United States; Riots break out in Los Angeles after police are acquitted in the Rodney King case; An "Earth Summit" is held in Brazil to address global environmental problems; Jay Leno replaces Johnny Carson as host of the Tonight Show on NBC; George H. W. Bush becomes ill on a visit in Japan and vomits on the Japanese Prime Minister; Mike Tyson goes on trial charged with raping a 1991 Miss Black America Contest contestant; Amy Fisher, the "Long Island Lolita," is arrested for shooting Mary Jo Buttafuoco on the front porch of her home; Toronto Blue Jays win the World Series; Washington Redskins win Superbowl XXVI; Pittsburgh Penguins win the Stanley Cup; Aladdin is the top grossing film; "End of the Road" by Boyz II Men spends the most time at the top of the US charts; Mad About You and The Real World premiere

And that’s just 6 out of the 65 years…all before the turn of the millennium!! When they were asked to rate their marriage Al gave it a 9 1/2 and Arline gave it a 9 1/2 to 9 3/4...wow!

God’s blessings to you, Al and Arline. In a day and age where Satan is attacking marriages with a vengeance yours is a beacon of hope in this world!