Viewpoint: Don’t Stop Believing

Our nephew, Austin, and his wife, Cindy, celebrated two years of marriage on Monday. Last Saturday a scant 31 hours prior to their two-year anniversary they celebrated their wedding with family and friends.

What you ask? Did they want to make sure they liked each other before they celebrated with family? No, they, along with approximately four million other couples that decided to get married during the COVID era, had to deal with pandemics and politicians in order to be allowed to celebrate their love for each other in public.

The average marriage in the United States lasts eight years according to the highly esteemed organization creditdonkey.com.

In the year prior to Austin and Cindy getting married (2019), 2,015,603 marriages took place in the United States. On the other side of the ledger there were 746,971 reported divorces. For those of you keeping score, that's 6.1 marriages per 1000 total population and 2.7 divorces per 1000 population.

In Missouri, where Austin and Cindy got married, during 2019 there were 5.6 marriages per 1000 population and 2.7 divorces per 1000 population.

It appeared to me that no one at this celebration was worried about divorce statistics. There were testimonies aplenty to the couples love for each other. Tables were decorated and numbered one through 23 and corresponding to each table number was a picture of Austin and Cindy at that age. Just an aside, based on photographic evidence I think Cindy was better behaved as a child.

The 1923 Room at the Plexpod Westport Commons in Kansas City, MO was host to a social hour, a meal, and a DJ led dance. Classical music surrounded the dining portion of the event after which two maids of honor and two best men shared their feelings for the young couple.

I dare say, Austin’s older brother, Brandon, should quit his day job (actuarial) and become a standup comedian. The only break in the laughter of Brandon’s toast was when he interjected his delight in watching his younger brother grow in his faith in Jesus Christ.

The 100 or so people in attendance were definitely younger than the average U.S. population. Their fire and enthusiasm for life couldn’t be missed. There were friends from the University of Evansville where they went to college and where, on graduation night, they had their official first date.

There were also childhood friends, soccer friends, high school friends and church friends.

The original wedding contained about 30 people because of guidelines that discouraged gatherings. An attempt to celebrate about a year later also fell by the wayside when we the people still weren’t heard. But what was two years in the making was well worth the wait.

Remember when you had to have a partner to dance? Not now. Dancers alone, or traditional couples or four or five dancers at a time took to the floor. Hip hop, rock and roll, and even a few country selections replaced the classical music played during the meal.

Dancing resembled what I did in my day but it was so much more physical. On several songs 40 plus people on the floor moved like a single organism punching the sky. Kids who weren’t even born when some of the songs became popular, knew the words and sang them enthusiastically

Seven percent of marriages beat the odds and last at least 50 years, according to the National Center for Family and Marriage. Lori and I have 18 to go. Austin and Cindy have 48 years to go. I’d say they have a good chance.

The last song the DJ played before Austin and Cindy departed for the night was by Journey, entitled Don’t Stop Believing. I’m betting that if they continue to believe in God and each other, they will join that 50- year club. Thanks for letting us be a part of your celebration and your life.