‘If we vex … by the time the sun ready to go down everything is alright’

Today, February 14, Vincentians join millions around the world to celebrate the day dedicated to lovers – Valentine’s Day.{{more}}

But for Percy (79) and Gertrude (74) Medford of Mountain Cabbage, their love for each other is celebrated every day.

Sunday, February 12 was the elderly couple’s 54th wedding anniversary, and they say that they are still very much in love today, as they were more than a half century ago.

Their story is a true love story.

They say that a day has never passed when they went to bed angry with each other, nor have they been separated from each other, except for the few times Gertrude went to the United States on vacation.

“If we vex with one another during the day, by the time the sun ready to go down, everything is alright. You go to sleep good, wake up the next morning, two good lovers,” Percy told SEARCHLIGHT.

“We married through love and we live together from a poor state, but rich in love. Love is rich and we continue with it and with God’s help, we will go on,” he continued.

Of course, times were simpler then; there was no television, only the radio, and cost of living was nothing compared to today, they explained.

“Times were much better than now,” Gertrude said.

“People used to have a better relationship with each other,” she continued, saying that even young children were well mannered.

According to Gertrude, the couple started their relationship at a very young age.

“He (Percy) used to go and come by my mother; through that we became friends,” she said.

And so the couple began a secret relationship until the secret was exposed, Percy said.

“We decided to live together,” he said.

The unofficial union produced two children, with Percy continuing his work at the waterfront, offloading cargo from steamer ships and Gertrude being a stay-at-home mom.

Time elapsed, and Percy decided that the two knew each other well enough, so it was time to make the relationship legal.

Gertrude’s parents had to be notified, as was the norm, and according to Percy, it was a simple ceremony.

It was a bright and sunny Tuesday morning back in 1958, the couple recalled, and they went to the court house with their witnesses by their side and got married.

Percy said that after the short ceremony, the newlyweds went home, where he changed his clothes and went back to work.

The formal celebrations were held, as was the custom, on the second Sunday, when Percy said that a family gathering was held.

Percy and Gertrude would eventually produce 14 children together and the couple say that they have been able to live and grow together, even during challenging times.

They attribute this to a life rich in the love of Christ, and because they got married for the right reasons.

“We accept Christ as our personal Saviour and He see us through all the way going until now,” Percy explained.

He also told SEARCHLIGHT that the two have always had a lot of love for each other, something he said does not seem to happen much these days.

“A man takes a woman, they fall in love and then for one reason, if they can’t overcome a problem, it causes a problem in the relationship,” Percy said.

He contended that the vows taken by young couples today are only made on the wedding day and then they do not remember them throughout the rest of their lives.

Percy also blames lust as a major downfall among couples today, saying that after a man gets married and sees a woman who may look better than his wife, it is the lust that causes him to stray and with that comes problems in the relationship.

He said that a woman was more likely to cheat on her mate, depending on the pressure she may have to put up with.

Gertrude maintains that it is because of a lack of discipline among today’s youth why there are so many marital issues.

She said that she also believes strongly that the society in which we now

live is partly responsible for so many failed relationships.

“Children are having children, the times have changed,” Gertrude said.

But the couple say that they very much recall the sacred vows that they made to each other and according to Gertrude, the love is stronger today than ever.

Part of this is attributed to the strong family values they claim.

“You call it a good relationship, a good relationship between parents and children,” Percy told SEARCHLIGHT.

This good relationship is what is necessary to maintaining a good and lasting relationship.