10 of 10 siblings hit golden anniversary

DEAR AMY: Today, July 28, my wife and I celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. It's a big occasion for us. A few months back I was thinking about our upcoming anniversary and I realized something remarkable was about to happen on my wife's side of the family: My wife and I will be the last of 10 siblings to celebrate a golden anniversary. Ten out of 10 siblings to celebrate 50 years of matrimony! When my wife was 4, her mother and father passed away within seven months of each other and her three eldest sisters (who were married) kept the remaining seven children together. Wow! I was wondering if any of your readers know of, or have knowledge of, 10 out of 10 siblings (or more) who have celebrated their golden anniversaries?

--Lucky

DEAR LUCKY: This is a remarkable statistic. Congratulations to all.

My research for this column has taught me that there are many ingredients contributing to long marriages, but the culture within a family is a big factor, as is the simple longevity of the people involved, which also runs in families. I'll happily look into this and run responses in future columns.

DEAR AMY: Recently, my husband of five years has begun picking up whatever I am drinking, drinking from it, and setting it back down. Sometimes he is eating when he does this. He became very offended when I complained. I think there is more to this than a simple, albeit rude, stealing of my beverage. Am I being too sensitive? Why would he start this after so long?

--Leveraged Beverage

DEAR LEVERAGED: I believe that in marriage, a person has a right to enjoy his or her beverage unmolested. Talk about this during a time when he is not doing it. Say, "This might seem like a small thing to you, but it really bothers me. Can you try harder not to do this?"