Marriage can be such a beautiful relationship to have; but let’s face it – these days, it’s a huge accomplishment to stay married even over 5 years. For couples that remain married, people wonder what their secret might be. So now imagine a couple that has not only been married for 26 years, but they have been in a 35-year relationship since they were 12 and 13 years old! They have practically grown up together and seen each other grow from awkward teenagers to beautiful and loving adults. I had the privilege of knowing this couple in high school, and I always admired their loyalty to one another. Knowing that they are still married and experiencing Joy in Love made me want to talk to them and hear what they had to say about their relationship and marriage. Here is the story of Elijah & Wendy Gomez….
Eli and Wendy met when they were 6th graders at Whittier Middle School. They both shared a common interest of music, and both were band members. They only had one short breakup one summer of middle school; but since then, they have remained inseparable.
They remained together throughout high school and continued as both stage band and marching band members. They even went to their Senior Prom together.
In 1994, two years after graduating from Edison High School, Eli & Wendy were married. They now have a 21-year old daughter, 17-year old son, and 15-year old son. Wendy works for New York Life, and Eli is a self-employed artist.
I asked Eli & Wendy what keeps them connected and strong in their relationship because they just make it look so easy and they are so compatible. I believe that in talking to them, the strengths that I observed were primarily their faith and the fact that their different traits and personalities actually complement the other and bring balance to the relationship dynamic. They rely heavily on their faith in Jesus Christ and put Him at the center of their home. They have a pretty simple life and don’t really like extravagant things or the cliché romantic types of things. But simplicity works perfectly for them. They have movie date nights, they take turns making breakfast, and they both help with the housework inside and outside. They don’t live off the stereotypical gender roles of a husband and wife that push a man to do the outside work and the woman to do the inside work. They both help in all areas, and they do it together. In their particular relationship, they both share a passion for comics, Star Wars, fantasy super heroes, and pretty much all things you would typically see at a Comic Con convention. I actually believe that might be one of the tightest glues for them second to their faith. Anyone else might get annoyed with Eli’s display of comic figurines, comic books, and collection of books; but Wendy fully supports it and gets just as excited to find these same types of items.
Wendy believes that the key to their strong marriage is communication. While they are both passive, they do still argue. But they do it in a respectful way and take time to listen to one another. In speaking of faith, Eli says “God’s plan is here, even if we don’t see it….knowing that God always has our backs helps us.”
FindJoy 