“Love is a game that two can play and both win.”
(Eva Gabor)
My parents, Paul and Freda Gersper, celebrated their 60th anniversary on January 3, 2016. A week earlier, they had a big party with nearly one hundred of their closest family and friends.
My wife and I wanted to give them something very special to celebrate such a momentous achievement. We wanted a gift that honored the incredible example they have set for our family and so many others. We found the perfect gift – we hired The McKellars, a wedding cinema company, to film their love story.
Click here to watch the story of their Great Big Love (10-minutes). I guarantee it’ll make you smile, it’ll probably make you laugh, and it just might bring tears of joy to your eyes.
I was asked to be the Master of Ceremonies for their anniversary party. As such, I had to prepare a speech for the big toast. One Sunday morning, as I was thinking about what I could say to possibly match the gravity of such an amazing accomplishment, a poem came to me.
This Great Big Love
60 years of love began with just two…
It’s amazing to see just how big it grew…
The young man was “so city” with pretty looks and blue suede shoes…
The young woman was country but quite beautiful too…
There was love when they met, that much they could see…
But they could never have imagined just how big it would be…
They had the kids early… Mark, Matt, Linda and Mike
But lost their dear Jeffrey, what a devastating strike…
Mom gave of herself so our Dad could learn…
Then she tended us kids when he went out to earn…
He earned three degrees at The Ohio State University…
Ten hard years of school secured their lives financially…
Dad’s one big job was enough to see them through…
But multi-level marketing riches attracted them too…
When Kaileen was born, their love would not stop…
She was just the beginning for Grammie and Pop…
Three boys would come next, Michael, Markham, and Kyle…
Then Emily, Mallory, Jeffrey, and Paige made it eight for a while…
They added two more, after quite a delay,
Fourteen years later they got Sydney and Shea…
The next round was great, the kids just kept coming,
Brooklyn, Leland and Adrienne, was there no end to the loving?
They loved their pets too… many dogs and cats…
And guinea pigs and turtles, even snakes and rats…
Family, friends, pets, and our country are all part of their ever-growing love…
Captured in super long holiday letters expressing gratitude to God above…
After 60 years they have the same love for each other…
It has been so strong they never needed another…
So we celebrate this great big love, lasting and sure…
I wonder who’ll be there if they make 60 more?
I am so very proud of my Mom and my Dad. They have taught me what true love means. What could be greater than that?
1st image via Unsplash; 2nd image via Taylor Lord | This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you click and then purchase we will receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for reading & supporting Happy Living!