Taking time to celebrate life’s milestones

​       It might be cold outside, but when I’m visiting with folks, my heart is warm and happy no matter the temperature.
      And that was the case on Saturday, Feb. 8 at the 50th wedding anniversary of George and Jane Cline of Brooklyn.
       I was invited by the family to come take photos of the life milestone and celebration held at the Michael J. Manatt Community Center.
       It was surprise event hosted by their son, Seth, and his girlfriend, Amy.
       They had a nice a turnout and it was an enjoyable afternoon with good food.
       I met a lot of good people and reconnected with some I hadn’t seen in a while.
     I took time to visit with the couple at the end of the event and learned how the Clines made it to this milestone.
     “Compromise and give and take,” said Jane as she and George visited with a few remaining guests. “There were some bad times, but the good things outweighed the bad.”
     The couple met on a blind date and Jane said they went on their first date on Sept. 21, 1973. They were married on Feb. 8, 1975. George said the weather was much worse 50 years ago than on Saturday.
     Jane spent her early years in Guernsey before moving to Brooklyn in fourth grade. George is a life-long Brooklyn resident.
      When the couple married, George worked as farmhand. The couple was able to buy their first farm, an 80-acre spread west of Brooklyn, in 1993.
      The couple still has a cow calf operation and raises chickens.
      George worked for Sig Mfg. for 13 years, then spent a number of years at Victor Manufacturing, retiring in 2017.
       “He was a factory worker and a farmer,” said Jane of her husband.
      Jane worked as a proofreader at the Brooklyn Chronicle and spent time in the BGM kitchen cooking area youngster’s meals. She spent 20 years at Manatts as an accounting clerk and performed data entry in the trucking division. She retired in 2019.
       “Family is important,” said Jane of the day’s activities as she and George soaked it all in.
       What a wonderful story of hard work, faith and determination that led to their 50th wedding anniversary.
       Sitting at the table next to Jane and George reminded me of the importance of celebrating life.
       It’s easy to get busy in life and forget to celebrate your accomplishments and milestones.
       We all need to do a better job in the celebration department.
      It might be something as simple as overcoming an obstacle at work or reaching a milestone or celebrating a special day in your life.
       It doesn’t have to a big anniversary, it could be that you lost 15 - 20 pounds on a diet or you saved enough money to buy a new vehicle or you got out of debt or paid a loan off.
      There’s no limit to how you celebrate a milestone. Set goals and when you reach a goal, take time to be thankful and celebrate, then move on to the next step.
       It’s easy to put things off until later. Don’t let the busyness of life keep you from enjoying life.
       A few weeks ago on a Friday evening, I told Debbie that Valentines’ Day was going to be special this year.
      She was thinking that I was going to take her to some crowded fancy sit down restaurant. That was not the case.
      “We’re going to Culver’s,” I told her. “I’ll even go through the drive-through and eat in the car unless it’s too cold.
        “I might go inside,” Debbie said with a smile.
        I typically don’t buy roses and boxes of candy, but I do enjoy a double cheeseburger deluxe at Culver’s
     And Valentine’s Day is this week. About the only thing that will keep us from going is snow and bad weather. If that is the case, we will go as soon as possible.
      We had the opportunity last fall to make the trek to Hannibal, Mo., and the Lake of the Ozarks for a few days of rest, relaxation, good food and antique hunting in honor of our 20th wedding anniversary and my 65thbirthday. We had a great trip and came back refreshed and ready to tackle our dreams.
       I leave you with this - enjoy the day, the week and enjoy life! You are valuable and have talents that others need.
       Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day.