Nancy Reagan died in her Los Angeles home on March 6, at the age of 94. She was loyal and deeply in love with her husband President Ronald Reagan throughout their 52 years of marriage.
The world remembers Reagan for numerous accomplishments as First Lady most notably her Just Say No (to drugs) campaign. She also received some criticism when she chose to replace the entire set of White House china even though it was paid for through private funding. But perhaps she is most famous for her fairy tale love story with former President Ronald Reagan.
Some people today say that marriage ties people down. You hear people say “I’ve got to do all my living before I get married.” That was not the case for Nancy Reagan.
Nancy Reagan often said, "My life didn't really begin until I met Ronnie."
Married in 1952 following a three-year courtship, they became role models to millions who followed their 52-year marriage. Ronnie believed in old-fashioned courting despite his divisive divorce from his first wife. Ronnie and Nancy traveled life’s path together often displaying their feelings for each other in public.
Here are five important lessons we could all learn from the Reagan's love story:
1. Life is about finding a partner
When men still wrote letters to their loves, love letters are what kept their love so fresh and alive. (Perhaps the Reagans were on to something and we should all go back to writing love letters to each other since their love lasted over half a century. Sounds better than texting to me!).
The former president had such a way with words it's no wonder Mrs. Regan was so smitten with him. According to ABC News Reagan wrote to his wife on March 20, 1955 “My darling, I love you so very much. I don't even mind that life made me wait so long to find you. The waiting only made the feeling sweeter."
On their 31st anniversary in 1983, Ronnie wrote: “I more than love you, I’m not whole without you. You are life itself to me.”
Both Reagans spent their early work lives in Hollywood as actors. Ronnie was president of the Screen Actors’ Guild and Nancy was an actress who believed she had been blackballed by Hollywood. This led to their first meeting and ultimately to their marriage.
After their wedding Mrs. Regan made the ultimate sacrifice - she gave up her acting career to stay home. But to her, this wasn’t really a sacrifice since it was always her goal to be married and have children. While she stayed home and raised their two children, Mr. Reagan continued with his acting career and then politics.
2. Relationships involve making sacrifices
Most First Couples we see in the White House do a pretty good job of resisting public displays of affection, at least while in the public's eye. For the Reagan's they simply could not contain their love. They were so proud of what they had, whenever they were together they were holding hands.
3. Constant affection
According to Michael Deaver, a longtime aide to Regan,“Without Nancy, there would have been no President Reagan." She was devoted to him both personally and professionally, often deciding when and where he went claiming it was for his own safety.
4. Unlimited support
In 1981 when there was an attempted assissination on the President. Nancy Reagan could not imagine life without her love and took it upon herself to protect him. Nancy had previously been very fascinated with astrology and horoscopes. She was known to consult with a private astrologist to determine what days were safe for her husband to appear in public and even to leave the white House. Many people, both publicly and in politics thought she was exerting too much influence on the President but she just saw it as her job as his wife.
5. Growing with your person
Remember how earlier we mentioned that Mr. Regan wrote love letters to his wife on a regular basis? Even after the initial honeymoon phase had stilled, their love continued to grow. In 1994, Ronald Reagan was diagnosed with Alzheimers. When he could no longer remember who she was, Nancy Regan would reread the love letters to him that he had written to her for almost half a decade.
In 2009, Nancy told Vanity Fair magazine how she’d pressed evangelist Billy Graham for reassurance that she and Ronnie would be reunited after death. She simply wanted to know if she was going to see her husband again. She was reassured that she would.
On Friday, March 11 Nancy Reagan will be reunited with her husband as she is buried beside him on a hilltop at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California.
Nancy Regan said many times how important it is to make sure you tell your significant other how much you love them. We never know when it will be the last time we can tell them or the last time they will hear us. She told Ronnie she loved him every single day, even when he did not know who she was anymore.
We should all strive for such a warm and intimate love in our lives. I know I do. Thank you for being such a good role model for a successful marriage.
Rest in Peace Nancy.
