By Bill Zuspan
Select a good pot. It is the society and community in which you were raised. For us it was a time and a place where husbands and wives were committed to each other eternally, and divorce was not accepted. In our small community there wasn’t even one person who was divorced, and so this was never an option. We were supported by our community to live together till death do us part.
Fill the pot with a broth of spirituality, a belief that there is something more than the tangible in life, a faith in the unseen. In our lives there has been church and our personal faith in a Creator God.
Mix in lots of love and respect. Love is sometimes hard to separate from passion, but as the pot simmers, love becomes something that changes what is in the pot. As the years have passed, we have learned to love in the deepest sense of the word. The Bible calls it "agape," which is love expressed by God.
Season the mixture with respect for each other, compassion for others, a purpose in life, and here and there a sprig of humor. We have found that reaching out to others brings us closer together. Our work in Haiti, helping the community to start a school, was not only a life-changing experience, but also helped us to become more aware of the needs of others in the world.
Let the dish cook for 56 years and you have our marriage. It keeps getting better all the time. We don't know how much longer we will still be together, but we do know that it will be until death do us part.
