Reverend Paul Arvin was a fresh and fiery Pentecostal preacher who pastored a small congregation in the mountains of east-central Kentucky. He was young, real young. His ministry was young. His family was young. And he was getting ready to perform his very first wedding ceremony. The young lovers had met in his church, and his ordination was just in time to make the proceedings legal.
On March 5, 1964 Kenneth Bishop sporting a dark suit jacket with a trendy tie, and Shirley Richardson adorned in a beautiful but simple dress were sealed in holy matrimony in the young preacher's house. Still in love, the wedding clothes have been hanging in the committed couple's closet for 44 years now.
The ceremony was very simple. I don't think there was any singing or music. There was a homemade cake though. A few family members were on hand and the kids of the house who were either oblivious to the event or just didn't care were jumping up and down on the furniture making all kinds of noise. The pictures I've seen of the occasion reveal a humble but happy day.
Forty four years is not a record. But it's certainly an admirable testament to a remarkable commitment that was made in very different, even uncertain times. Lots of marriages don't last. Mine didn't. Our reasons for giving up are mostly selfish. Sometimes the conditions leave no choice, but there are those couples that see current circumstances as reasons to bond and trust each other even more. They hang on, consider their partner more than themselves and make people like me so very, very proud to have their name.
Happy anniversary Mom and Dad!
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