Mrs. Gingerbread, Vancouver
Age and Occupation: 32, Psychologist
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Software Engineer
Engagement Date: Sometime in the fall of 2004
Wedding Date: July, 2008
Blogging Since: March 24, 2008
Venue: Rainforest wedding, beachfront restaurant reception
About Me: I recently moved to Canada from Southern California. Trying to plan a wedding in a new city, not to mention a new country, is tough, but the fact that we can get legally married here more than makes up for it! The wedding will be an opportunity for most of our family and friends to see our new city for the first time so it will be both a wedding and a reunion. Besides my future wife, I am also madly in love with a good bargain, Swedish pastries, Tivo, and my two dogs and calico cat (in no particular order).
Grandpa’s Reading
May 13th, 2008 @ 8:24 am by Mrs. Gingerbread
My grandparents celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary this year! When I was a kid, I always wondered why they weren’t more outwardly affecionate. They didn’t kiss or say “I love you” the way that people on television who loved each other did. Now that I am older, I know that outward expressions of affection are cultural and that my grandparents’ love for each other is deep. I feel blessed to have them as role models for what it means to grow old with someone, and to see each other through good times and bad.
My grandparents were married in 1943, while interned in Manzanar. Obviously, there was no lavish wedding. I don’t have any photos of when they got married. The closest thing I can find is this picture from 1945.
Here are a couple of other photos of them in 1946, looking glamorous (post-internment).
And here they are with me at my graduation:
I think it’s rather auspicious that Miss GB 2.0 and I are getting married this year, the year that my grandparents celebrate 65 years together.
We feel incredibly blessed to have the support of my grandparents. Not only will they be at our wedding, but grandpa (who signs off on his emails to me as “GP”) will be doing one of our readings - an excerpt from “The Art of a Good Marriage”, by Wilferd Arlan Peterson.
“A good marriage must be created.
In marriage the “little” things are the big things.
It is never being too old to hold hands.
It is remembering to say, “I love you” at least once a day.
It is never going to sleep angry.
It is having a mutual sense of values, and common objectives.
It is standing together and facing the world.
It is forming a circle that gathers in the whole family.
It is speaking words of appreciation, and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.
It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.
It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow.
It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.
It is not only marrying the right person — it is being the right partner.”
My grandparents are my relationship role models. Who are yours?
22 Responses to “Grandpa’s Reading”
The picture of your grandmother from 1946 is beautiful. She’s stunning. And, your grandfather looks very dapper.
I also love that picture from 1946! I have a very similar picture of my maternal grandparents from that time. I just love the clothes and the hair. It looks like it is out of a magazine!
Mr. Peacock and I are both very lucky. Our parents as well as all four sets of grandparents were very happily married- although quite a few have passed away. Each couple has its own unique bond, so it is hard to pick one as a role model, but I think that my parents have a great relationship to emulate.
Wow, they are both so beautiful!
This was such a great post! Thanks for sharing with us! I think I would have to say that my relationship is modeled after my Aunt and Uncle who live in Australia. They are extremely religious people (which neither husband or I am), but they are also very tolerant. Most importantly, they both have such a wonderful form of open communication between the both of them that it makes their family such a close knit group of people. I think it’s important to be able to cherish your partner through the good and bad times and work through all that life will throw at you…I truly feel they have achieved that sense of selfless love that I want to have with my better half.
I love the second picture, so cute. Honestly, I don’t know if I have any relationship role models - my parents and FI parents are both divorced, remarried and in some instances divorced and remarried again. I remember growing up thinking how odd it was when someone’s parents were still together, all of my friends parents had been divorced. Obviously I still have hope about marriage since I am getting married - but I also know the reality which makes making the marriage work even more important.
My grandparents have been married for 20 years - but this is both of their second marriages, but are the most lovely, kind, giving couple I have ever seen, so I would choose them.
I’d be curious to see how many brides on the bee come from a divorced household / still married household and thoughts on how that affects new marriages in the family.
This is so wonderful! My “GPs” have been married for 66 years, and I also feel so lucky to have them as marriage role models. We plan to mention them and their marriage in our thank yous at the reception.
This is a great post. We got married the same year that my parents had their 35th which I thought was special too.
I love that reading! We also had it in our ceremony.
Awwww… that almost makes me all teary-eyed. How sweet.
I think my mom and step-dad come closest. They have been married since I was 5 and though there have been a lot of strains for them over the years (mostly economic) they’ve always stuck it out.
My step-dad was laid off, again, right after our wedding so things have been stressful for them lately, but they do their best.
My grandparents are celebrating 60 years and my parents are celebrating 20 years this year, so I’m very excited to be celebrating with them. My grandparents are my relationship role models as well. And even though they aren’t mushy or overtly romantic, they eloped, so I know they have it in them. 
the reading you picked is beautiful and so are your grandparents. when you wrote that they got married while in Manzanar, I almost teared up.
We’re getting married on july 12th, the same day that my maternal grandparents got married in 1947. Had my grandfather not passed away last year (one day before their anniversary) this year would have marked their 61st. they also had a very internal love, but it was always visible in their eyes and in the respect and grace they showed each other.
Thank you for sharing your grandparents’ story and your grandpa’s reading. It’s amazing to have them in your life as role models. (forgive me as I’m crying all over my keyboard right now - so touching.) 
My grandmother was in Manzanar, (my grandparents got married right before the war, so she got sent to Manzanar and he got sent to do translation for the army in Minnesota, of all places). Do you know which section of the camp, or which barracks they were in? Judging by your pictures, they must have been close to the same age, maybe my grandmother knew your grandparents in camp.
I’m the product of many a divorce - so I have very few role models for marriage in my direct family. My mom has been divorced once and widowed once and my dad has been divorced three times. You’d think I’d never want to get married!
But I do, I most definitely do. All the divorce in my life hasn’t cheapened the institution of marriage - it’s instead deepened my appreciation for those who can withstand a long, happy, marriage. I look to my best friends’ parents who have been together for almost 20 years now and love each other dearly. I look to my Aunt and Uncle who are now grandparents 6 times over and are still going strong. I look to my coworker who has been happily married to his wife for over 40 years.
The story of your grandparents is so sweet - especially that picture of you with them at your graduation!
omg, that picture of you and your grandparents are your graduations brought tears to my eyes! how sweet! you are so lucky to have them.
My parents celebrated their 35th the week we got married, and my grandparents celebrated their 65th that same summer (my other grandfather died after they had been married for 55 years). My parents- with their joyful love and intense friendship are definitely our role models.
My favourite thing about this post is that your grandfather emails you. I am really impressed by that alone.
Miss BG, this post made me cry! How beautiful
Thanks for all the nice comments. It seems like it’s grandparents week in my blogging since yesterday I blogged about someone else’s grandparents :p
@ambinsb: I have no idea about where in camp they were, but I can ask. Feel free to PM me
@BRS: That’s on of my favourite things about my grandpa. He is so current. Not only does he email, but he also has a cell phone and is an avid Netflix watcher
None of my GPs are still with us, but I wear my paternal grandmother’s wedding ring along with my own rings. I kind of think of her and my grandfather as our marriage’s guardian angels.
GB, I love that your GP is so up-to-date– maybe he can teach me how to text message!
My grandparents met in the Poston Camp in Arizona. They’ve been married over 60 years now.
[…] Monday I posted about someone else’s grandparents and on Tuesday I posted about mine, but wait, there’s more. My grandparent-themed posts aren’t over […]
[…] up was Grandpa reading “The Art of a Good Marriage.” You should have seen the proud smile on my grandma’s face as he […]
