In chapter 4, I mentioned the Marriage Rocks event Debbie and I created to celebrate marriage testimonies in the churches we’ve served. We had the privilege of interviewing and video recording many couples for those events, and we truly loved every story. There was one story, however, that made an indelible mark on us. Bud and Polly were one of those couples.

Married for over sixty years, we were eager to capture their story. We knew, however, that Bud would be the only one who could share it. This was because Polly had Alzheimer’s and was living in a memory care facility. But Bud was determined to tell their story for the world to hear.

I’ll never forget the day of the recording. Polly was unable to leave the facility, so it had to take place there. We sat down in her room with Bud right by her side, and we began recording. Bud did a marvelous job telling how they met, began dating, and fell in love. He was beaming as he shared details of his proposal, their wedding day, and their honeymoon. He told of their children, grandchildren, and all their years together.

There were moments when it was emotionally gut-wrenching for him. Through tears, he declared his love for Polly, with her right next to him, but she remained silent … unable to remember or understand what he was talking about. But Bud would not remain silent. He wanted their story to be heard. It was hard on him, but he insisted.

And then he began describing her disease, and the painful journey of caring for her at home as her condition worsened. He told of how he did his very best for as long as he could, but ultimately, he had to make the heart-shattering decision to admit her into the memory care facility. He continued to visit and care for her and love her, even though she wasn’t the same and their relationship was different. But his love for her hadn’t changed.

The time for the Marriage Rocks event finally came. It was a beautiful evening filled with great food, romantic atmosphere, prizes, and laughter. The time came for the videos of the marriage testimonies to be played, and by the time it came to the end of Bud and Polly’s story, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. There was a reverent stillness in the room as everyone was awestruck by the purity and power of Bud’s love for his wife, Polly. Their marriage testimony changed lives, and marriages, that night.

At the event, we wanted to honor the couples married for many years to stand, and when I asked those married at least fifty years to stand, Bud stood right up … alone. It wasn’t possible for Polly to join him, but he stood anyway. Although she wasn’t present physically, the bond that God created between them was present. The power of their sacred union, their marriage trinity, filled the room. The impact of their love story, as an echo of the gospel (the greatest of all love stories), was palpable.

In fact, Bud didn’t have to attend at all. Everyone would have understood if it was too painful. He could have agreed to the recording but not attend the event. But he showed up. He stood up. He stood up for Polly, their marriage, and the glory of God.

Bud passed away the following year, and I had the privilege of speaking at his funeral. As a pastor, I could have shared the usual funeral-type thoughts and condolences. A preacher has a lot of options to choose from when officiating a funeral.

But I chose to share their love story.

I told their story as Bud told it to me. I told their story because it was worth telling, and more people needed to hear it.

To say that Bud and Polly experienced a flood would be an understatement. But the fire of God in their marriage sustained them, and Bud loved her dearly to the very end. Theirs was a marriage that was sustained in a flood.

Polly passed away the following year.

-Stephen E. Buckner, Hot Marriage, chapter 17