FOUR DECADES plus two years. Or 42 years. No matter how you view it, that’s a lot of time. Today marks 42 years since Randy and I were married at St. John’s Lutheran Church in my hometown of Vesta.
As anyone our age will tell you, time passes too quickly. Here we are today, comfortably settled into our life together. Kids long grown and gone. In semi-retirement. Grandparents of two. Understanding that this life we’ve built has been one of much joy, but also one of challenges. Nothing unusual about that. Such is life.
Through the all of it, we’ve supported one another. Leaned into each other. Been there. Done exactly as we promised we would, in sickness and in health.
Randy is the kind of guy who quietly steps up and helps, does the right thing. Back in 1967, long before I ever knew him and in a part of Minnesota unfamiliar to me, Randy saved a life. His father’s. They were working together, harvesting on the family farm, when the corn chopper plugged with corn. Tom hopped off the tractor to hand-feed corn into the chopper. As he did so, his hand was pulled into the spring-loaded roller. The chopper blades sliced off his fingers while his arm remained trapped in the roller. As his father screamed, Randy disengaged the power take-off. He then ran across swampland and along the cow pasture to a neighboring farm for help. If not for that heroic action by a boy who had just turned eleven, my future father-in-law would have died.
This is my husband. Calm. Steady. Dependable. A son who saved his father’s life. He was never publicly recognized for his actions. (I think he should be, even now nearly 57 years after the fact.) Life went on for the Helbling family, Dad now minus a hand and part of an arm. It was not easy.
Randy has maintained that steady evenness throughout our marriage, a quality I appreciated when our younger daughter underwent surgery at age four, when our son was struck by a car, when I was in the worst throes of long haul COVID, unable to function. He’s always been there for our family, for me. When I broke my wrist six years ago, Randy stuck his hand out the van window to slap an imaginary emergency light atop the roof as I pleaded with him to drive faster to the emergency room. Yes, Randy possesses a sense of humor that balances my lack of a funny bone.
Admittedly, I don’t always understand his humor. But Randy still tries to make me laugh. Occasionally he cuts a cartoon from the local paper (I don’t read the funnies) and sticks it on the fridge. His latest came from “The Family Circus” with this line: Poems are like rap without music. When I finally noticed the clipping two days later, I texted him that Poems are NOT like rap. He knows I don’t like rap music.
Maybe he doesn’t like poems. But if he doesn’t, Randy hasn’t told me, his poetry writing wife. I bet if you had asked Randy 42 years ago whether he would ever attend a poetry reading, he would have vehemently replied, “No!” But he has. Many of them through the years, at which I’ve read my poems.
Randy is my greatest supporter in my writing career. He understands that the writing and photography I’ve done, and still do, are my life’s chosen work, not simply a hobby (as some others view it). I appreciate his appreciation of my creativity.
I appreciate his talents and skills also. Randy, supposedly retired from automotive machining (but not really), earns the praises of many a customer. They want “only Randy” to do their work. He is exceptional in his trade and truly irreplaceable.
Randy has other skills I’ve come to value through the decades. He is an excellent griller, still grilling everything the old school way on a Weber charcoal grill. He’s also mastered making grilled cheese and tomato soup for Saturday lunch and omelets for Sunday brunch.
And he’s really good at cardinal calls. The bird, not anything related to his Catholic upbringing. Whether in the backyard or walking in woods, Randy will answer a cardinal’s trill with his own. Yes, he sounds just like a cardinal.
We’ve built this life together on love, laughter, respect, support, encouragement, faith and so much more. Forty-two years. Four decades plus two years. Days, weeks, months, years…of blessings in good times and in bad. There for one another. Always.
© Copyright 2024 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
Congratulations you two! 😊 Randy sounds like an exceptional person. And any one who can GRILL an omelet deserves extra praise! 😁
Thank you for your wishes. Nope, Randy doesn’t GRILL omelets. Maybe I need to rewrite that sentence. But he makes omelets in a frying pan every Sunday for brunch.
I should have known that grilling an omelet isn’t likely but year round grilling (in Minnesota) is still impressive. 😀
He’s grilled in below zero temps. A whole turkey once when his family was here for Christmas many decades ago. Only rain and significant snow stop him. He (sometimes me) shovels the patio in the winter to assure it’s clear for grilling.
Congratulations to you both. You are so right, life has blessings and challenges and to have someone there supporting you through it all is wonderful. I’m sure you support each other. Though we’ve not met, through your writing I sense you are both very good, solid, honest people. That is one of the reasons I enjoy your writing, you provide a real sense of who you are and do the same for Randy. Enjoy your anniversary, you have so much to celebrate.
Kathy, we do, indeed, have much to celebrate. You have us defined correctly. We are both down-to-earth, hardworking and honest people who grew up on farms. We grew up in families without much money, but with lots of love. We share similar values. And, yes, We support each other. Thank you for appreciating my writing and for celebrating our anniversary with your sweet words.
Congratulations!!!! I love the photos of your wedding. Isn’t it amazing how time flies by when we are older and all we want when we are young is to get older!!! Have a wonderful day together. I feel the same for my hubby Ted. We have been married 47 years May 5th. Hard to believe as well. prayers and hugs kathyg
Congratulations to you and Ted on 47 years of marriage! What a blessing! Randy is working today, so we will celebrate on another day. Thank you for your prayers and hugs, Kathy.
Congrats to you and Randy.
Thank you, Ken.
Yay! Congratulations and happy anniversary!! What a lovely tribute to Randy. I sure need to hear his cardinal call someday!
Thank you, Gretchen. I’ll tell Randy to keep in practice with that cardinal call. He’s convinced many a cardinal that he’s a cardinal. 🙂
Beautiful Love…Congratulations!
Thank you, dearest Jenny.
Happy Anniversary and I enjoyed your posting today a tribute to a long lasting marriage. Congratulations.
Thank you, Sue. You and Charley are another excellent example of a long-lasting marriage.
Happy Anniversary!! Beautiful loving post. Your journey together is a testament to love and commitment.❤️❤️ My husband and I will be celebrating our 29th in a few weeks. Isn’t it wonderful to be able to build a life with someone who is so amazing?
It truly is…wonderful. An early happy 29th anniversary to you and your husband!
Happy Anniversary to you and Randy! 42 years is a remarkable achievement. There is so much love in your post. Mick and I just celebrated our 31st in April.
Thank you, Kathleen. And a belated happy 31st to you and Mick!
Forty two years, in sickness and in health. What an amazing man you married! Thank you for sharing this beautiful tribute to your husband. I’m certain if Randy had your gift for words, his description of you would be as lovely and heartfelt.
Congratulations to you both. (I do hope I’ll be able to meet you someday.)
Yes, Randy is amazing. I’m happy to share this loving tribute to him.
My Aunt Iylene told me you are hoping to meet me. That would be nice.
Congratulations!!! May you have many more years to celebrate.
Thank you, Judy. That phrase of “many more” is one that was oft repeated among family in southwestern Minnesota when I was growing up there.
Happy Anniversary! We will celebrate 56 years next month. Yes, time passes quickly.
Fifty-six years is amazing. Congratulations! Wow!
Happy Anniversary!!
Thank you, Keith.
Randy a griller??!!! Me as well when I get the chance.
Randy grills every weekend, no matter the temperature. And sometimes it gets mighty cold in the winter. But he’s out there grilling on the patio.
I used to that in college. I can remember one evening at the beginning of May, being in the backyard of the house I was renting with roommates. It started out nice and warm. I was grilling for the house. Within an hour the temperature started dropping to the point where it started snowing! So there I was, grilling holding an umbrella over my head. It snowed 10-12 inches that night.So much for Spring!
What a story. You were one determined griller, Keith. Randy draws the line at grilling when heavy snow is falling.
Happy Anniversary to you and Randy.
What a great guy, what a great couple!
Thank you, Valerie. I feel the same about you and Gary.
happy anniversary and congratulations. It sounds like you both truly found your soulmate and you are so lucky for that ❤
Thank you, Beth. Randy arrived home with a bouquet of lilacs this evening. So appreciated that he took the time to clip these for me. It’s a spring tradition, which happened to fall on our anniversary. I made a key lime pie for him, which we are about to enjoy.
lovely
Congratulations, Audrey. ❤
Thank you! 🙂
Happy Anniversary – Congrats – Cheers – Celebrations!!! ENJOY Your Special Day 🙂
We hope to celebrate tomorrow. Randy was working yesterday so…yeah, not really retired.
Congratulations! many more! match made in Heaven!
Love the term “many more.” Used often when I was growing up in southwestern Minnesota and celebrating relatives’ birthdays and anniversaries at big family gatherings.
Happy anniversary. I loved reading bits and pieces of your love story. I think forty-two should get an extra celebration, being as it is, according to Douglas Adams, the meaning of life.
I had to Google that to see what you were referencing. You taught me something new today.
Happy Anniversary! You are meant for one another!
Thank you. I agree.
Happy 42nd Anniversary! Dan and I celebrated our 42nd last September! As I once wrote in a card to the parents of friends of ours – every minute together probably hasn’t been blissful, but every moment together has been a blessing from God. Wishing you many more moments of blessings!
Thank you, Brenda. I really like that message your wrote to your friends’ parents. A belated happy 42nd to you and Dan!