Grandpa Howard told me of the anonymous phone call he received one day announcing a couple from a distance coming to be married at 10 a.m. the next day. Since they refused to identify themselves, Grandpa presumed they were young folks running away to be secretly wedded without parental consent.
Imagine his surprise when instead of being youthful lovers, there were silver threads among the gold. Having been childhood sweethearts, they became engaged while in their teens. Planning for their approaching marriage, the prospective groom went away to work for a few weeks to raise money for necessary expenses.
In the meantime a neighbor boy accompanied the fiancée to the local church during a revival meeting. The green-eyed monster of jealousy precipitated the quarrel, which brought havoc with previous arrangements and shunted them away from the hymeneal altar until they secured more genial mates. Then, as a coincidence, both couples moved to the same community and were close neighbors for many years.
Within a short time, death claimed a spouse from each of them, leaving the erstwhile lovers free to resume their courtship. After waiting lonely months, they sought each other’s company and prospects bid fair for them to reaffirm their mutual affections. However, memory of the old-time disagreement still lingered like a smoldering fire only to break out again. Consolatory attempts proved futile.
Going their separate ways and letting bygones be bygones, they remarried, never dreaming fate decreed for them another chance to fulfill the broken vows of long ago.
In the evening of life, they were free once more to mend the threads that time and events had severed. Thus their toil-worn hands were clasped in the bonds of wedlock. Circumstances justified this belated union, but it would be fictitious to add they were happy ever after. Their home had been twice broken and the memories interwoven with the past cannot be erased until the twilight shadows.
The nuptial ties are strengthened as the years are lengthened through the sunshine and cloudy weather that companions walk hand in hand together.