Status symbols are very important to many people and measured in multiple ways. Some of which are the following:
- Bank account
- Position/Title
- Where you live
- The type of car you drive
- Where you went to school
- Where your kids go to school
- Your spouse
- Your appearance
- What you wear
- Etc….
While many look on these outwards signs of perceived success, none of those listed are the greatest status symbol a person can have. Those are false indicators of success.
The greatest status symbol a person can have is a long marriage.
Think about it. When ask an older couple how long they have been married, if their response is 42 years, you do not say, “Wow! So where do you work or went to school?” That would be foolish.
When someone gives you a large number of years of marriage, it stops the conversation dead in its tracks. Your response is some form of, “Wow! How did you do it? What is your secret?” No other set of follow-up questions are appropriate.
This past Thursday, October 17th, former President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn celebrated their 73rd anniversary. At 26,765 days, this is the longest marriage of a United States president in its history.
I did not agree with many of President Carter’s policies or current views but I do respect the office of president. More importantly, 73 years of marriage is worthy of everyone’s respect.
Jimmy Carter may have been a governor, president, and founder of Habitat For Humanity. But his greatest status symbol is that of husband to Rosalynn for 73 years! Even he said, “The best thing I ever did was marry Rosalynn. That’s the pinnacle of my life.”
If I were to one-day personally meet President Carter, I would only have two questions for him. The questions would not have anything to do with foreign policy, non-profit work, or the inner-workings of the presidency. My two questions would be, “73 years of marriage!!! Wow!!! How did the two of you do it and what’s your secret?”
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