January 13, 2006
Staying Close to Home
It’s 50 years to the day that Marjorie and Charcoal were married—January 13, 1957! They were married at FCBC and they are still at FCBC. Many church members helped plan their wedding and I heard that their children and god-daughter planned this dinner. Their wedding banquet was at Sun Hung Heung Restaurant up the street on Washington Street and tonight, we are at Penang Gardens that happens to be on Washington Street. After 50 years, Marjorie and Charcoal haven’t gone very far.
Maybe this is the secret to their successful marriage. When two people are dating, they are always trying to surprise each other with the next exotic excursion or eating at the grand opening of the newest restaurant. When you are dating, you seem to always be going somewhere. But for a marriage to extend over many years, staying close to home is essential. Creating a home welcomes in children and they bring home their friends and in time these friends become family members. And soon, you are blessed with grandchildren who can’t wait to come over to Gong Gong and Po Po’s home where they feel they are the most important people in the world. Someone once said, “Home is not where you live, but where they understand you.” You might not think so but Marjorie must understand Charcoal and Charcoal must understand Marjorie because they have had 50 years and 6 months to do so.
According to Marjorie, their courtship was less than 6 months! In her life’s story in the Chinatown book, she met Charcoal when she was in the choir and he was the choir director. When Marjorie ended up in the hospital with a ruptured appendix, Charcoal out of his duty as a choir director went to visit Marjorie. And that is how this Golden Anniversary has come to be. When I watch any choir director at our church directing, he or she is always singing the words too. We can literally say that Charcoal and Marjorie were actually singing to each other at church of all places! People today would say that this is most inappropriate!
Tonight’s dress is what we call, “evening casual.” Marjorie and Charcoal are all dressed up for this evening’s occasion. This reminds me of a story. A mother and father were getting ready for a party as their two children watched from the doorway. First Mom fastened Dad’s cuff links. Then Dad zipped up the back of Mom’s dress. Mom knotted Dad’s tie, and Dad fastened the clasp of her pearls. On and on it went. As the parents completed the ritual, one of the kids turned to the other and said, “And they expect us to get dressed ourselves.”
By looking at Julie, Cardenas, Sierra, Phoenix, and Jerald, they have learned how to dress themselves because for 50 years you have shown them that the secret to a successful marriage is to stay close to home and to make your home a welcoming place for everyone. May God continue to bless your life together as he has for the past 50 years and 6 months and give you both good health and a place close to home for many more years to come. Happy Anniversary!