75 years represents many sunsets, snows, trials, and joys. This week on February 16th, Hubert and Charlotte Hutchens marked a milestone enshrined by tradition as a diamond wedding anniversary.
The latter part of January and into February has been fraught with illness for this couple, culminating in Hubert’s grave illness and hospitalization. Charlotte and her family were given no hope, but people began to pray, seeking for God to be glorified. In Charlotte’s words, "Our Lord answered on Wednesday evening the 7th of February when Hubert sat up as if he had a very restful sleep. He was fully awake, knowing everyone and his whereabouts."
When Charlotte arrived at our door with a note, as I answered the door, Mother quizzed Angie about who had rung the doorbell. When Mother heard the name “Charlotte” she insisted on seeing her even though Angie indicated Charlotte had already said she couldn’t come in. Angie sensed Mother’s intense desire to see her and helped her get her walker and navigate into the living room.
Mother had formed a close bond with Charlotte as she and Angie cared for Grandma following her stroke and Charlotte went above and beyond her job description as their home health nurse during the last months of Grandma’s life. Even though Dad would say, “Hube and Charlotte are transplants” in the Bend, he and Mother looked upon them as dear neighbors and friends for over 40 years.
Dad loved Hube’s stories so I have chosen an apropos one for this occasion. This retelling is from a previous Faith_Family_Farm posting.
Hubert and Charlotte met in Hominy when she was barely 15
years old. Their dates were always chaperoned by Hube’s older brother, Lloyd.
Hube’s military induction and a family move by Charlotte’s family interrupted the budding romance. They met up in Charlotte’s new home in the state of California. During their reunion, Charlotte recalled vividly the two of them kneeling at the altar of an empty California church. In her heart, Charlotte pinpointed that moment as the day she committed to love and live with Hubert until death parted them. They made long-range plans for their marriage to take place a few months later. But her mother couldn’t approve of her only daughter, at age 15, marrying a 20-year-old soldier.
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| One of my favorite early day photos of Charlotte and Hubert |
Savvy
determined 15-year-old Charlotte boarded a bus heading east to Colorado right
into a snowstorm. Finally, she arrived, knowing everything would be fine now
that she was with her beloved soldier. As they applied for their marriage
license, worldly-wise Charlotte knew that she was under the required age of 16,
with no parental permission. When the clerk asked her age, Charlotte looked
directly into her eyes and replied assertively “16.”
The
clerk turned to Hubert, addressing him with the same question. Hubert honestly
responded, “20.” To his surprise, he was queried, “Do you have your father’s
permission to marry?”
In
Colorado, at that time, a young man had to be of age 21, to marry, unless he
had written parental consent. With Hubert’s brother and sister-in-law
engineering a solution, they drove to the next county. First, Hubert "aged" by
one year during the trip. His brother called ahead, preparing the way for
Hubert and Charlotte by saying, “They can’t spend the night together
unmarried.” He was told "get them to the courthouse by 5:30 p.m. and they
can be married."
Upon
arriving at the destination, they obtained the marriage license but had to
interrupt a poker game so the justice of the peace could perform the
ceremony. "Ceremony" did not accurately describe the event. The
poker-playing justice looked at Hubert asking, “Do you take her as your wife?”
Immediately, he turned to Charlotte, and asked “Do you take him as your
husband?” Promptly, he pronounced them married.
Fifteen-year-old
Charlotte, with a voice full of disappointment, blurted out, “What about the
ring?”
“Oh! If I knew you had a ring, I’d have made a bigger deal of it!” the justice of the peace responded, as he made tracks to get back to his poker game.
So many takeaways pop to my mind from
this week’s posting. Here are a few:
- · Marriages are commitments made to last in the eyes of God and the man and woman. The peripheral elements of today’s wedding do NOT a marriage make - only life-altering commitments will cause it to endure, not the venue, the attire, or the unique reception theme.
- · True friendship stands the test of time and not just in the Bend, but anywhere people work to retain those ties.
- · A commitment to Jesus to trust Him and Him alone for our eternal salvation and believe He will do what His Word says drives individuals, church congregations, and communities to pray. In turn, those prayers often lead to answered prayers. It is never the ones praying, but it is the all-powerful God to whom they lift their requests. He alone is worthy of praise.
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