I was introduced to the movie The Crow while I was in high school. It was an instant hit with me… the ultimate love story. What could be more romantic than a love so strong that it brings someone back from the dead? The musical stylings of Jane Silberry just set it off — it can’t rain all the time, right? I was so taken with the movie that I used it as artistic inspiration in several of my college art classes. (Ok, yes, I was a little obsessed.) After all of the crazy that has happened in my life this year, one of my favorite quotes has an added flavor of meaning to me.
“If the people we love are stolen from us, the way to have them live on is to never stop loving them.
Buildings burn, people die, but real love is forever.” — Sarah in The Crow
So… Meet two of the most wonderful people in the world–Ben and Marjorie King, my grandparents. Theirs is a love that endured throughout over 55 years of marriage. They provided an amazing example to me of what I think a marriage should be and how to love unconditionally. I wish that every couple I photograph will experience that kind of commitment and happiness and that every child could be lucky enough to be raised in that kind of environment. My grandmother had a bathing suit collection, and she loved being out in the sun. My grandfather was a proud member of the navy with a fascination for coins.
They both came from humble beginnings. The photo on the left shows them at Papaw’s parents’ property where they lived for the first part of their marriage. The photo on the right shows them on their property where they built their house and raised two children (and me). They met as children, and my grandmother told a family member that she was going to marry him one day.
Isn’t it neat to see how portrait styles have changed over the years?
They were always there for me. I can’t tell you how many times as a child that I crawled into bed with them after a nightmare, and I would fall asleep in between them twirling Mamaw’s hair in my fingers. On the right, you can see them on my wedding day. Papaw walked me down the aisle almost eight years ago.