65 Years of Commitment

You may have noticed that recently I have neglected to follow my regular routine of postings. I do have a good reason – my family has been busy celebrating our parents’ 65^th wedding anniversary. It was an amazing weekend with lots of activities, family members and friends. We met for one single purpose – to recognize two people who promised to love and to support each other and have kept true to those vows for 65 years.

Bill Mullins and Norma Randlett came from very different worlds. She was the city girl and he was the country boy. He was the oldest child of a large family and she had older, half siblings who had been raised a generation before her. She was from the “north” (Pittsburg, Pennsylvania) and he was from the “south” (the hills of Eastern Kentucky). Literally, one is from a “Hatfield” family and the other from a “McCoy” family. (I don’t recall which is which.) Bill and Norma met in college, married early, raised five children in Olathe, Kansas (far away from family on either side), and have lived on the same street, in the same house for over 50 years. What a great reason for us to gather and to celebrate!

There is no doubt that my parents love each other and that they love God, us kids and America. Their love is sweet and fresh. But, I want to chat for a moment about how they are committed to one another and to the promises that they made 65 years ago tomorrow.

“Commitment” isn’t a popular word today. We think commitment equals drudgery and following through when we don’t feel like it. We talk about “vows” as legal agreements. We dread the thought of agreeing to something that has unknown work load and outcomes.

My parents see “commitment” in a totally different way. They see commitment as full of hope, of blessings yet to be realized. To be honest, it hasn’t always looked to me that the situation confronting them had any promise of hope. But, they stood together when the economy faltered, when jobs disappeared, when investments failed, when people disappointed them, when health issues challenged them, and when God said “not now” or “no” to their prayers. You see, their commitment to each other was bigger than their circumstances. They are committed to living a life together filled with hope and with promise.

Vince Lombardi said that “The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.” And, Bill Cosby wrote “Anyone can dabble, but once you’ve made that commitment, your blood has that particular thing in it, and it’s very hard for people to stop you.”

Want to be successful? Commit yourself to the task. And rest assured that “The one who calls you is faithful.” I Thessalonians 5:24