Teeth and Marriage

Earlier this week I had to have two fillings replaced. The old ones  served me well, but they had developed some cracks over the past 60 years. Dr. Hindman, my dentist when I was a kid, did a find job patching those two cavities, thus saving my teeth. I don’t know how much my parents paid for those two fillings back then, but the new ones were a little over $500. That seems like an awful lot to pay for two teeth that I probably won’t need for much more than 15 year. I doubt if I will live to be 85 years old which is what I will be if I’m still around in 15 more years. I wish I had thought of that before I let the dentist replace those fillings.

A young lady polished my teeth after the dentist finished replacing my old fillings. Of course she did all the talking. She said  that she and her siblings were planning a surprise celebration for her parents 40th wedding anniversary. She asked me how long I had been married. I replied, “Orty evon ears”. That was the best I could do with her hand in my mouth, but somehow she understood that I meant forty seven years. She thought it was great that Sherri and I had been married that long. She said, “Most marriages today don’t last 40 or 47 years.” She was right about that.

Maintaining a strong marriage is not easy. Unless the marriage is based on an unconditional love it probably won’t last. Like my cracked fillings Sherri and I experienced a couple of cracks in our marriage many years ago. Our marriage could have easily ended, but because of our love for each other we were able to fill those cracks and stay together. The pain of having a tooth filled is pretty bad. So is the pain experienced in trying to grind out the decaying issues of a troubled marriage. Both are necessary if we are to save what is dear to us.

I’m so happy that Sherri and I are still together after forty seven years because I love her. I guess I’m glad I had those two teeth filled even though it did cost me 500 bucks. I love my teeth also. I will need them until I die. And I will certainly need my dear wife.