Rosie L Shedrick

You never know what life lessons the brain will grasp and in the 64 years I’ve been married, I’ve learned quite a few. My husband, as a young boy watched his mother suffer and struggle to provide for ten children without a husband. In the 1940s and 50s, without running water and electricity, having survival skills was crucial. Many days he nnd his siblings went hungry and without necessities.
Because he grew up in severe poverty, he said his family would never have to live like that. He was strict on our three daughters and enforced education. He said, “If they don’t like me, it’s okay.” He was going to ensure they had life skills for success. He also refused to allow his wife to struggle like his mother had to. He joined the Navy and he didn’t want me to work so I didn’t. It was a joy to be able to stay at home with our three girls without depending on daycare or a babysitter. On paydays, he handed me his check. I was a thrifty shopper and always went to the sales rack. With three daughters, I learned how to do hair which later became my profession. When the girls were older and I decided to go to work, my husband told me the money I was making was mine. Yes, I know I had it good. To have a husband with a priority to protect and provid for his family is worth more than gold.

As a wife, I never had a want or need for anything. I never had to worry about food, money, bills being paid, clothes for the children and definitely not for myself. My cup has been running over for 64 years. Don’t get me wrong, nothing is perfect. Some of those life lessons have been through the good, the bad, and the ugly in our marriage.