This past week, my parents celebrated their 31st wedding anniversary.

I know that doesn’t seem like anything big to celebrate because after all, the 31st anniversary isn’t the “silver” or “golden” anniversary. It doesn’t have any obvious significance.

But when I started thinking about it, I thought that anyone who has been married longer than I’ve existed on this planet deserves to be recognized.

Especially in a day where marriage is something that’s thought of to be completely replaceable and disposable.

My parents have worked hard for everything they’ve ever had and for the life they have built over the past 31 years.

When they first started out, they both worked at a local bank and neither one of them made a killing at what they did.

In those early years, they ate a lot of BLTs and other foods that could make up a five-dollar meal.

They entertained themselves by playing cards with friends because it didn’t cost anything, and they would sometimes splurge and grill hot dogs or hamburgers for the group.

When I came along, the screws got even tighter because they decided it would be better for me if Mama stayed at home and raised me instead of staying with her job at the bank.

Then three years later, along came my brother, which added another person to feed and clothe.

I’m not painting this picture to garner sympathy for my family because we weren’t poor by any means.

John and I never wanted for anything and we always had exactly what we needed.

I’m painting this picture to say that those conditions – living on a little, living within a budget, living on only one income, raising two kids and all the other issues life throws at you – aren’t necessarily “ideal” conditions.

I’m sure it would have been much easier if Daddy had made a six-figure salary or if Mama had’ve kept her job, but they made the best decisions for our family and they made it work.

But the extraordinary part isn’t just that they made it work – it’s that they made it work together.

So many people run scared at the first argument or the first sign of trouble.

But a marriage isn’t like a dating relationship.

You can’t just move on to someone else if you get annoyed by the person or bored with them or tired of the way they act.

My parents have lived through 31 years of ups and downs and everything in between, but they’ve come out on the other side and proved that even though things may not always be perfect, even though you may be going through a valley at the time, there are mountains along they way that make you realize the valleys are worth going through.

Just so you can eventually see the view from the top.

That attitude is very inspiring for my husband and me since we are only halfway through our second year of marriage.

We know there will be bumps on the way but because of examples like my parents (and several others) we know the view after 31 (and hopefully many more) years will be worth it.