Special note: I’m very sorry if I have confused you guys. Sundance is a good friend, not my husband. My husband isn’t part of the Treehouse crew, and he has no idea about the stuff I write unless it’s something about the grandkids I might show him.
This weekend we celebrate our 46th anniversary. Okay, we’ll celebrate later, my tough guy is at the races with a bunch of other tough guys. Believe it or not, I’m okay with that. These guys work hard and deserve their annual weekend. I think guys need times like that, and I happen to be a huge fan of toxic masculinity.
A few weeks before I turned 18, I met this really captivating guy who was good looking, strong, kind, and most attractive of all to me, not afraid to follow his own path in the face of teenage peer pressure. He was matter of fact about his family ties and his religion, at a time when most teens were way too cool for that stuff.
He had been working a hard physical job in the summers for a number of years, and he’d developed real toughness already. Mental and physical, the kind that does not come cheap. He was humble, and cared about people. He’s always been a people person, while I’m much more reserved.
From the very first, he saw me. He saw deeper than a pretty young girl, confused and unsure, but very opinionated nonetheless. He saw me. And came to love me anyhow.
We were married the summer after our graduation. We became parents, three sons born to us in the next five years, during the worst economic times faced in my lifetime, with the exception of now, of course.
Those early years were very hard. There were times when I drove our little Pinto along the road late at night while he walked the ditches to find coke bottles. We took them in for gas money to get him to work. In spite of that, the first winter we were married he gave his coat to an old homeless man we knew, knowing full well we couldn’t buy him another one. I fell even more in love with him at that moment.
Like most all old married couples, we’ve had lots of good times, and plenty of bad ones. Spending the years with a man who won’t break has made them much better for me, and for our sons. He is a rock, and through it all, he’s never once faltered. Never complained, never been tempted to give up, never known defeat, because defeat does not exist in his world.
This weekend I honor a man among men. Dear God, please give us more of them. We really, really need them right now.
And they make great fathers, passing on that strength. God bless them all. Here’s to you, tough guys. Thanks for all you do.
God bless you and your family Dear-what a wonderful post.
Thank you and God bless us all…
Beautiful sentiments!
Blessings to you on your anniversary! Enjoy your weekend. Love your posts.
My thoughts exactly, guestkit. I always pay attention to posts from Menagerie’s too.
Happy Anniversary!
Good morning! What a beautiful story, of a life best lived. Thank you for sharing it with us!
Congratulations on the anniversary! God Bless
Happy Father’s Day,Sundance.
Wish there were more like you
That is a beautiful tribute.
Sounds like my dad. Worked hard all his life from a very young age.
Self-taught.
Put both his daughters through college with advanced degrees.
Never stopped giving to his community and church.
Served in WWII.
God bless you, Dad, and to all fathers like you.
Unsung heroes.
Backbone of families and country!
Stories like this are what made America what it is and hopefully for future generations…
God Bless you and hubby for the years you’ve had together!!!
💜Happy Anniversary!💜
Love your story -and also am a big fan of toxic masculinity-wishing you both a happy anniversary
What a wonderful tribute! Happy Anniversary! We need more strong men like that. I had tears in my eyes reading your story!
How beautifully you express yourself in this tribute to your husband. It brought tears. I lost two husbands who also were tough guys; gems both. Happy Anniversary dear Menagerie!
Lovely – made me smile big.
My long-deceased dad was also a tough but quiet and gentle guy – an iron worker who spoke little and read much in his short free time. Thanks for bringing the memory.
Sounds like you married a Biden!
???
Dumb!! Remark. Mistake?
I am thrilled to read this story about your tough guy and your love for him – I’m sure he says the right things about you too. 46 years – a remarkable thing in these days of throw-away everything. But I’m also sure he would say similar things about you – a tough guy loves a woman who doesn’t give up either. Sherry and I will make 53 years married on this Monday. Similar story, similar love, most of all, similar God whose blessings we don’t deserve.
Thank s Menagerie – I always enjoy your posts.
Congratulations Sundance!
We love him too!
Happy anniversary. We just celebrated our 36th this week
Wonderful story! Thanks for the share!
I am a 64 year old (or young!) retired clinical psychologist. I live in Auckland, New Zealand. I have followed CTH for several years, and I am grateful for Sundance. He is intelligent, very well educated, diligent, disciplined, dedicated, and worthy of my time. I thank you for this post, and I say God Bless you both.
Thank you for sharing your personal and uplifting post. Your husband is the type of man I strive to be.
Wonderful post….thanks SD. God bless you and your family……and God bless us all.
Thanks for that M.
Hard times make good men . . . You know the rest.
Congratulations Young Lady. And Well Done to your Man. I guess it’s true that Marriages ARE made in Heaven. I’m envious! 🙂.
Amen, sister.
Bless Menagerie
https://freedomaustralia.freeforums.net/
Thanks for sharing, Menagerie. Although married later in life, 25th this weekend for us.
Happy Anniversary to you too!
Happy Anniversary Menagerie. God bless you and your family.
You are so blessed. Mine died fairly young. They are not easily replaceable. Character and integrity. Cherish all the memories.
Amen to that, and congrats to you both. Seems like we might be going to relive those 70s or worse.
Tough times are coming and we need tough men and women to get through them.
God’s in control! We do what needs to be done! Simple.
God bless and Happy Anniversary!
Beautiful post. Happy Anniversary & cheers to many more. Thanks for sharing.
Love your post, Menagerie! So grateful for my own tough guy, too. We do need more of them.
What a sweet story
Happy Anniversary, you two!
I am grateful for both of you providing this forum to both educate us and for your readers to educate each other. I love the insight and humor everyone brings to this. I too am the mother of 3 young men that I hope will go forth in the world with the values and moral compass that was taught at home. Having a “toxic” masculine male, who uses the Bible as his authority, has worked for us and I hope works for my three sons as they establish their own families in the future, the culture be damned.
We often have some misunderstanding. My husband has no part in the Treehouse. He mostly has no idea what I write about, unless it’s something about our grandkids and I show him. I might show him tomorrow’s post about his dad.
Sundance is a good friend who started the Treehouse and invited me to join Ad rem, Stella, Wee, and a few others. That’s how we all got to know each other, after all of us initially were followers of another blog.
Would you mind naming the other blog? I seem to remember Sundance using two names at one time. I’ve been
reading at the Treehouse for 10-12 years, maybe more. Time flies when you’re old. Look forward to each of your post.
That’s the way I like my men. Tough, masculine and determined, with a kind loving heart! Your husband reminds me so much of my beloved dad and my wonderful husband. Happy Anniversary and may you both have many, many more. God bless.
This is the most beautiful thing I’ve read in long time. Thank you
Amen!
I wish you a Happy Anniversary, you and Sundance, Menagerie. It takes two to make a great team, as Almighty God knew when He weaved your threads together in the great, colourful tapestry of life. May He continue to bestow all His blessings on you both for years to come🙏🌷
See comment above Betsy. Sundance is an awesome pal.
Ahhhhhh!!!! Well, you learn something new every day. Thank you for that clarification. A phrase I adopted from my home abroad which is so true is “what you don’t know you make up.” This I have apparently done….for years!! Mea culpa😉
My message to you and your adored husband stays the same. He’s a truly lucky man.
…now it all makes sense. While I was reading your beautiful post, I kept thinking, what does she mean her husband doesn’t even read Treehouse?? It really was, also as they say in Blighty, “doing my head in.” 😂
Thank you for a peek into the enigma that is Sundance. Somehow I knew he was solid as a rock. Cheers to toxic masculinity. God bless you and your family.
That’ll teach Sundance to leave the Con for a few hours….
It is a blessing to look back on the path we have walked over the years with
strong women and G-d’s grace. Proverbs was right.
And may the our blessings of faith be observed by our children.
Happy anniversary to you and Mr. Tough Guy, Ms. Menagerie.
The mention of the Pinto made me smile.
You’d have laughed if you saw it. When we were finally able to trade it in on a brand new F 150, we took the parts that had fallen off in on the backseat.
I bet there was some part of you that was sort of sad to see it go, Menagerie, necessary as it may have been. It served you well.
Well done, good and faithful car!
thanks for sharing, menagerie… congratulations!
Congratulations on 46 years of surviving the Rollercoaster ride aka. MARRIAGE. (We’re looking forward to our 51st in November.).
When you are fortunate to find “the” life partner, the adventure begins and you really don’t realize how blessed you are until you look back on the many milestones you’ve passed as the years pass by.
And yep, we started with nothing in our mid 20’s but an old car, and pop-up camper on a Honeymoon that took us from upstate NY to Florida. (When you don’t have a job, you can do that.)
After a tour of 2/3 of Florida, we settled down in the St.Pete area, started several businesses, raised 2 children, had a lot of boating (deep sea fishing) adventures , and later, after retirement, RVing around the United States. We shared the love of adventure, Independence and work. But are opposites in every other way.🤣
And there were many times where a fishing tournament took precedence over an occasion.
Now, in our mid-late 70s, we still work as a team. He is my rock, and in my failing health, my caregiver.
For those of you just starting out, respect each other. Give each other space. Allow each other independence to enjoy your hobbies and interests. Trust. Pray. And know there are going to be some mighty hard times that bring you to your knees.
God Bless the white male who knows these things, practices goodness every day, and puts family first. God bless the Black, American Indian, Asian and Hispanic males who also realize their uniqueness in society as well.
And God Bless the strong women who stand with them .
And for those who chose to have children,, HAPPY FATHER’S DAY tomorrow..
And, thank you for the post Menagerie. Happy 46th Anniversary.
Four years before you met your husband I had met and married a carbon copy. Reading your message was like reliving my life from those first years of marriage. Those times were hard …the “jimmy years”.
I have always thanked God for blessing me with someone so strong to navigate us through these past 50 years.
I wish you many more years with this man.
Great post. External beauty in a woman is wonderful. Internal beauty even Christ admires. External strength in a man is also wonderful, but inner strength (character) of a man Christ may even stand up (see the stoning of Stephen). Let’s celebrate the divine character in each of us, and see our calling is to bring it out in each of us. It starts with seeing it in the other, even when it is not manifest. I call this having “Kingdom eyes”. This is the place of hope, and faith and love springs up from hope (Col 1:5). In difficult times in my marriage, when all I could focus on were her faults, I’d focus on the radiant things about her, and my desire to say hurtful things would fade away. I’ve been blessed to be married to my wife, soon to be 35 years. Living with her has made me a better man.
God tells us….”he who finds himself a wife has a good thing”
Where is the “heart” emoji?