Finding lasting love can take patience. For Cecil Parker, it took persistence.
He met his now-wife Virginia when both worked at a movie theater. Virginia initially turned him down for a date.
“This girl right here is the first girl I ever dated,” said Parker. “First girl and I married her, but it took me quite a while to get her to say, ‘yes.’"
They married in 1942. Now, both in their 90s, Cecil and Virginia Parker just celebrated 75 years of marriage.
The halls of their Dallas home are covered in photos. Blessed with so many grandchildren and great grandchildren, they use a notepad to keep track.
“It’s 27 or 29,” said Virginia. “We got a bunch of them.”
Time may have aged a few things, but not the faith they vowed to put first in their marriage. It’s what Cecil said comforted the couple through the loss of a child early in their life together and guides them day-to-day.
“If you have an argument, kiss, make-up and keep on living, keep on loving,” said Cecil.
Both firmly believe the love you put in this world, a kind word or an offered hand, will come back to you tenfold.
You just have to be open to it.
“That’s love. That’s how I define love,” said Cecil. “But I do love Virginia.”
