The anniversary celebration began with a renewal-of-vows ceremony with me as the presiding pastor.  My sisters
had decorated with candelabras, flowers, and pictures from across the decades.  Mom's slipper-satin wedding
dress, which she ordered from "Modern Bride Magazine", hung on a dress form at the back of the room.  A friend
had made a three-tier cake and my sister made homemade mints.

I told the crowd that as a long-time campus minister I had officiated at many weddings over the years, but this was
my first renewal-of-vows ceremony.  I stood before my parents, my brothers and sisters, my uncles, my aunt and
my Sunday school teacher from the 6th grade.

After the opening remarks I asked the bridal party to stand.  At 74, dad was the first one up.  He wore a gray suit,
a burgundy tie and his $500 ostrich-skin cowboy boots.  The day before dad had 50 red roses delivered to their
home.  Mom had them prominently displayed in the middle of their round oak table.

Mom, attired in a new two-piece beige suit, stood beside dad.  Earlier in the day my 13-year-old daughter said,
"Grammie looks young, daddy."  Her hair still is brown.  She looks taller than 5'8".  "She certainly doesn't look 68
years old," my aunt said.

"Now let's have the rest of the bridal party stand," I said.  Uncle Del was the officiating pastor in 1952.  He stood.
Dad's cousin Doren was the best man.  He still farms near Hoxie.  He stood.  Aunt Eula from New York City was
the matron of honor.  She stood.

"Face the audience," I instructed.  After a few more preliminaries, I got to the vows and said, "Okay dad and mom,
are you ready?  I'm going to have your repeat the vows, just like you did back in 1952."

"Ready," dad said.

"I Darrel Follis, take you Patricia Jennings to be my wife," he said.  He repeated every word without a hitch.

And then mom repeated after me, saying, "I Patricia Jennings, take you Darrel Follis to be my husband."

The ceremony ended with me saying, "Having exchanged vows and having reaffirmed your love for each other after
50 years of marriage, it is a great honor as your son to pronounce that God has made you husband and wife.  Dad,
you may kiss your bride."

Dad put his arms around mom and gave her a big old smooch.  The crowd instantly responded with a rousing
ovation.

At the steak dinner that evening, family members and friends rose to congratulate dad and mom.  Uncle Del, dad's
youngest brother, stood and said that whenever he preached he always used my dad as an illustration as a person
who really understood the Christian walk.  Del started to cry. "I better sit down.  I really admire my brother."

My youngest sister Patti Jane was the next to stand.  She placed her hands on her husband's shoulders and said,
"When I thought about getting married, I wanted to find a man just like Dad.  I found just the man.  He treats me
just the way dad treats mom.  We've always tried to model our marriage after dad's and mom's."

Uncle Norman doesn't like celebrations or parties and usually just stays at his home in Phillipsburg, Kansas.  But he
was there along with Aunt Bert.  He slowly rose, cleared his 73-year-old throat, and said, "I have something I want
to say.  My brother Darrel and my sister-in-law Pat always have been the cornerstones of this family.  You know
when our mom was dying Darrel and Pat were there every day for months and months.  That's the kind of couple
they've always been.  They'd do anything for you, and I just want to acknowledge them today as the cornerstones
they've been for decades."

Finally, my oldest sister stood and made a toast to mom and dad.  "They are people of integrity," she said.  "They
are the same people when others see them and when no one see them.  That's integrity.  Here's to many more years
of happiness."

Glasses clinked and people said "Here. Here."  I smiled.  My sister was absolutely right.  They are fine people,
indeed.  I remembered the proverb that says, "The godly walk with integrity; blessed are their children after them."
(Proverbs 20:7)

Don Follis is an Urbana minister.  Reprinted with permission from the
Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette, copyright 2003.