Love means many things. For some, “love is a many-splendored thing.” For other, “love is patient, Love is kind.” And for those who are fans of Ed Hardy clothing, there’s the idea that “love kills slowly.” There are 10 pages in The International Thesaurus of Quotations devoted to people trying to define love. While love is upfront and center during February, who could disagree that love is one four-letter word that doesn’t get used often enough?
After 55 years, it’s still love…
“You know it’s been a long time when neither one of you remembers it’s your anniversary, “says the Rev. A.C. Cobb with a laugh. Together 55 years, he and his wife, Rosella, were both surprised when someone in the congregation at Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church in Winter Park recently pointed it out in the weekly bulletin. Blurting out a robust “I love you, Rosella” to make up for his forgetfulness, Cobb didn’t know until later that his bride, too, had forgotten their special day.
The reverend has the quick wit of a comedian, funny and sharp. His wife is his best audience, laughing at every punch line, keenly adept at holding her own when she needs to. She is the perfect straight woman to his comedic turns, sneaking in a zinger at his expense when its least expected. “I try to make her laugh every day,” he says. And then, a pause for effect, “She makes me laugh on occasion.” He deadpans. Within a split second and with perfect timing she adds with a wink, “He used to call and I’d change my voice,” sending him into peals of laughter. It is clear that humor is the tie that binds here.
The Cobbs met in the spring of 1953 at a house party on Carolina Avenue, a going-away get together for a mutual friend. He was a dapper 30-year old with a warm heart, and she was a demure 25-year old. The story of their first encounter depends on who is doing the telling. The way he remembers it, another girl asked him to take her home when Rosella piped up with a crisp, “No, he’s taking me home.” For her, the tale is a bit different. “I remember a friend and I were on the front porch and I saw him from across the street, and I thought, “Well, I like the way this guy walks.” I knew he came from a good family.”
The two began their courtship, though his wily ways would often create a stir – especially with her family, who were wary of his intentions. She was not beyond playing hard to get with a little help from her dad. Her father would sit inches away on the other side of the window while the two courted on the front porch. “Every once in a while he would cough just to make sure I knew he was there,” the Rev. Cobb says with a laugh. At 85 years old, his blue eyes still dance when he talks about marriage and his life with Rosella. He is quick to tease her about eating her tuna casserole every night of their first year of marriage.
Today, they live in the same home on Comstock Avenue where Rosella was born and grew up. They have spent their lives together climbing the very same steps to the place where they first began their romance on the front porch swing. They were wed in the living room with a few friends and family, and it is where they reared their own daughter, Bernadette, now 51. Sitting in their living room that’s filled with family photos, it is easy to understand how the marriage has endured 55 years – a span that few have the strength or heart t pursue. There is something to be said for roots. If a love can grow from generation to generation within the same walls, why would anyone ever want to be anywhere else?
A pastor at Mount Moriah since 1990, the Rev. Cobb has guided many couples through the ups and downs of love, marriage and family. When asked why he chose Rosella, he says, “My feet would always lead me back to her.” For those he counsels he dispenses sage advice in the form of a few do’s and don’ts:
- “Never start anything” you don’t intend to keep up. (This includes things like cooking and cleaning!)”
- “There will be problems; things change. They don’t always stay at the same lever of romance, but its still love. (Ignore the curlers in her hair!)”
- “Your husband or wife is nobody to boss; you are equal partners.”
- “Keep the Lord with you and you’ll be OK.”
Written by: Tesha Daniels / [email protected]
