Superstition holds that Friday the 13th is the unluckiest of days, but is it?
I know one couple who would disagree, at least as far as weddings are concerned, and they tell me they had their pick of church and reception venue bookings for that unluckiest of days.
That couple is Jean and Carl McLean, who were married sixty years ago on Friday, April 13, 1956.
The life they’ve lead isn’t extraordinary. They worked hard, played hard, raised four children, and paid off cars and mortgages along the way. What is extraordinary is the love and respect they share, despite the hardships and challenges they’ve endured.
To this day, my father is incorrigible where my mother is concerned, and throughout our childhood, my siblings and I rolled eyes in witness to their smooching and stolen pinches. I can’t even say “when they thought we weren’t looking” because they were and still are, unabashedly, in love.
It was a privilege to be there to help them celebrate their diamond anniversary … a celebration that spanned several days, thanks to some clandestine sibling planning, and the company of family and good friends.
Thank you to everyone who had a hand in the planning, execution and celebration.
Congratulations, Mom and Dad. Love you lots!
JP is an award-winning author of supernatural fiction. Her latest release is Scorch Mark, book 3 of the Dark Dreams Novels. Click on any of the covers below for more information:
That is just so fantastic! My dad didn’t live long enough, but they were a couple like your parents, too.
It is a great privilege for you to be raised in such a family. I can see now where your moral standards and the main attitude towards the life take origin. Congratulations to your parents, and number 13 is a good number for quite a few people, I know for sure it is for me. They proved that when it comes to love, strength and ability to survive through tougher patches without losing respect and love to the other side does not depend on the date when the marriage takes place. Very interesting and extraordinary story!
I read this a little late but congratulations to your parents. I hope to luve long enough to ours. The day doesn’t matter, the love and commitment matter. I like to say about my own marriage the my husband still twitterpates afyer 37 years together. If only young people would understand what commitment really is there would be so many fewer divorces.
37 years! Congratulations, and thanks so much for stopping by.
Wow, that’s an amazing accomplishment. They must be very knowledgeable—what are their secrets to a long and healthy marriage? I’m sure the anniversary was a blast! What a gift to be able to celebrate all together.
It is a gift. I feel very lucky indeed.
Congratulations to your parents. They look so happy! It’s funny because in Spain (and I’m not sure why) the unlucky day is Tuesday the 13th (I’m not sure why) so it would definitely not been a problem getting married on a Friday the 13th. Unfortunately my Dad died last year so they got to 51 years, but they got married on a rainy day and that’s also supposed to be unlucky so… I guess it’s the people who count. Send them my love.
Congratulations to your parents, Jo-Anne. As to the question, I would probably steer clear of Friday the 13th as a wedding day. Also Halloween…though for me, that might be more fitting. Both my parents and my wife’s parents reached 5o years of wedded engagement. Even at that, my father had a failed marriage earlier, an event I didn’t know anything about until I was twenty. Well, I do ramble on…
How beautiful, JP. Thank you for sharing. It’s wonderful to see a love endure for so many decades especially at a time when statistics tell us that around 50% of marriages break up.
I think in the day your mom and dad got married, the vows ‘for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, for sickness or for health, ’till death do us part’ were understood as meaning that there would be bumps along the road and that was to be expected but to not throw in the towel, when it got a little rough.
As you know, I was a family therapist for 25 years, and met a lot of couples over time. It’s not easy to accommodate another person from a different family from one’s own, but again, if the marriage was based on love, then it’s worth saving. Congratulations to your mom and dad!
Thank you, Diana. I’m so proud of them for all they’ve accomplished, and very grateful to have them for parents.