LOVE & ROMANCE
My Secret to
Lasting Love
THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF STAYING TOGETHER
For this month’s Love & Romance section, Gazelle’s executive content
manager and senior writer, Vicki French Bennington, shares the personal
love story of her and her husband, Gary.
By Vi c k i Fr e n c h B e n n i n g t o n
H
aving recently celebrated our 33rd wedding
anniversary, my husband, Gary, and I are often asked
about our secret to staying together.
After all, being married to the same person
for more than three decades is not that common
anymore. Many of our friends, relatives, co-workers and parents of our
children’s friends have been married more than once, or at least, are
divorced. Not that we are the only ones who have made marriage last.
We have a few friends right there with us, but it’s not the status quo
these days. It is something to be proud of and wear as a badge of honor.
So what is the secret? For ourselves, Gary and I have had a lot of
unique experiences in the lifetime of years we’ve been together. Maybe
that’s the key. Mutual love and respect, along with encouragement and
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GAZELLE STL
On their wedding
day, Oct. 6, 1984
support for new endeavors, have also helped - and not being so quick to
call it quits when a problem does arise.
We met through mutual friends, and not long after, Gary, who worked
for McDonnell Douglas, was transferred to California. We decided to
marry, and he gave his opinions about the wedding details from long
distance, but it was mostly my mom and I who planned what I thought
was a fairy tale wedding.