A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:12 56 • <strong>February</strong>/<strong>March</strong> <strong>2016</strong>
A Cord of 3 Strands Nestled into a corner of Florence, Mississippi, is the home of Sam and Peggy Simmons, two of the most genuine and loving people I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. I was greeted at the door with a hug, smiles, and excitement. It was an honor to be welcomed into their home to hear how their love story unfolded. In August of 1950, Sam Simmons was asked to escort three young ladies who were bridesmaids at his friend’s wedding. One of those bridesmaids was Peggy. “That was our first meeting,” said Sam. “We knew we liked each other, so the next day after the wedding, I brought her back to Florence–with the permission of her mother. We got engaged in October.” Sam was a senior at Mississippi State University at the time. “After we got engaged, I couldn’t stay away from her. I went to see her on the weekends or she came to see me in Starkville. It was a whirlwind. That’s when I realized I couldn’t live without her,” said Sam. Sam and Peggy married on December 17, 1950, and recently celebrated their 65th anniversary. They have six children, fourteen grandchildren, and nine great grandchildren. Sam and Peggy made their home in Florence in the house that formerly belonged to Peggy’s parents. “It has been a good 65 years,” said Sam. “Our marriage has been built, first of foremost, on faith. We both have a strong faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Church and Sunday school are very important to us. Our family and children grew up in that environment.” Sam offered advice to new married couples: “The man needs to learn to say I’m sorry, forgive me, and I love you. You’re always going to have some friction, and it’s not bad to have some pretty big fights because it’s so much fun to make up.” Peggy added her words of wisdom. “No marriage is perfect. You are completely different in personality from your spouse. We’re just all different. When you realize that, you’re better off because you learn to get along.” “We never considered divorce, but we did consider homicide a few times!” joked Sam. “You have to realize that when you marry, you’re not just marrying the one you love. You’re marrying their family,” added Peggy. “I realized that Sam was from a very nice family. I was impressed with that because they were all sweet, thoughtful, and kind. Sam has always been sweet and thoughtful and kind to me.” “Sam is just a good man. I think he’s a keeper. He certainly did everything in the world to try to make us happy and see to it that I didn’t have to go to work. He made the living for us. I don’t think I realized, until later years, that I could have had no choice but to go to work. I always appreciated that and tried to count my blessings even though it was very hard to stay at home and raise the children. He always helped me in any way that he could,” said Peggy. Sam recalled, “I’ve heard Peggy make the statement, ‘I didn’t do anything. I just stayed at home.’ But she was working when I got up in the morning—ironing and fixing lunches. When I went to bed at night, she was still working. So I don’t buy that she didn’t do anything. She did a lot to raise six children, and that was a lot harder than what I had to do. We worked it out when we worked together.” “We’ve enjoyed our children and grandchildren as they’ve been born. They live in different states. We always look forward to seeing them,” said Peggy as Sam showed me a family photo album. “I think we are kindred spirits in agreement about what’s important and what’s not important,” said Sam. “Faith first, family second, friends third, and then community. I think those are some pretty good building blocks.” As Sam and Peggy said goodbye to me with hugs and well wishes, I felt as if I was already one of the family–after spending just one hour with them. These two are a true example of a marriage woven into the Lord. n <strong>Hometown</strong> <strong>Rankin</strong> • 57