by Marilynn Chadwick

Mom and Dad suffered two especially hard losses as a young couple. When I was about two, Mom delivered a baby girl who died shortly after she was born a few weeks premature. Today’s neonatal technology could likely have saved the baby. I have no memories of this incident.

Tragically, the very same thing happened again when I was five. This one I do remember. There were two of us kids at that point. My sister Susan and me. Mom went into premature labor again and delivered a baby—another girl who also died soon after birth. But Mom, just 28 at the time, somehow managed to keep life moving forward in our home. I know she had a deep faith, and I’m sure it was her faith and her courage that gave her the strength to persevere. She and Daddy kept hope alive, and two years later welcomed my youngest sister, Janice, whose name means “God’s gracious gift,” into our family.

I’m a mother myself now, and a grandmother. So when I look back at those times in my mother’s life, I don’t know how she kept going. She and Daddy had to be grieving. Yet I’m amazed at how little she allowed those terrible losses to impact our lives as children. By that I mean that she and my dad didn’t retreat to fear or hold us back from a normal, active, and happy childhood. Mom kept moving forward for us—evidence, again, of her self-sacrificial nature and her servant’s heart.

Mom had been an only child and always wanted to be part of a large family. So she especially loved Daddy’s large family. And Daddy loved hers. They were a team. Family was their priority.

They also shared each other’s interests, like a love of the outdoors. They enjoyed camping. Some of my favorite childhood memories—even into my teen years—are of our family camping trips every summer. To the beach, to the mountains. To historic sites such as Colonial Williamsburg and Kitty Hawk.

Mom and Dad both had keen minds. They loved good books and good movies, and made sure we had access to those things growing up. They appreciated education, patriotism, and the land. Our people were mostly a collection of educators, farmers, and those serving in the military. Being native Virginians, they especially loved all things Virginian.

Honor was present in so many ways in our home, though typical of their generation, they didn’t flaunt it. I guess you could say Mom and Dad were good, solid, honorable people who came from a long line of good, solid, honorable people. They all had long-lasting marriages and were proud of their heritage. And they passed that legacy on to us.

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This series is adapted from the book, 8 Great Ways to Honor Your Husband by Marilynn Chadwick. To download your free PDF copy of this book, please visit our website by clicking here!

A Legacy of Honor: How They Honored Each Other