Melbourne and Joyce Crooks - Contributed photos

Love is - if not the most - certainly one of the most powerful elements in the world. In fact, it is the major reason why Melbourne and Joyce Crooks have been married for the past 50 years.

On January 3, 2010, the couple sealed their golden anniversary with a celebratory church service at the Grace Missionary Church on 7 West Avenue in St Andrew. The Reverend Sam Green presided over the ceremony.

Mr and Mrs Crooks were married on December 12, 1959, at the Assembly Hall Church on Orange Street, just above York Fire Station. After they tied the knot, the couple first lived in Norman Gardens in Kingston, the same year they wed, but moved to Havendale in St Andrew six years later. The union has produced four children: Ruth, Douglas, Raymond and Joy. Three of the children live abroad, while, their daughter Joy stays with them.

Both gave long service to the government sector. Mr Crooks, who worked as an engineer, spent 32 years in local government and another 17 years at the Urban Development Corporation for a total of 49 years in government. Mrs Crooks worked in government for more than 30 years. She worked in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions. She later served in the Office of the Ombudsman, working under the guidance of Errington George Green (E.G. Green), the first political ombudsman in Jamaica. Mr Green passed away in December 2009.

Mr Crooks said, "It's not best to marry someone you can live with, but someone you can't live without." "For you to celebrate the love, you have to live the years," he said. He also spoke on the journey of a marriage. "A marriage is like driving a motor car after 50 years, you look in the rearview-mirror and a mental picture is painted in your mind, where you move from the concept of a vision, which is the mental picture, to a dream, which are cherished ambitions." He added: "The grace of God kept us together for so long because it is by His grace you are here and by His grace we depart."

Mrs Crooks had similar sentiments while adding that tolerance, communication and respect for each other's views are key elements for a happy home.

Mr Crooks had this to say to newly-weds: "You got to have a good amount of tolerance, patience and love for any marriage to succeed. "I don't think you should be like an accountant that keeps stock of one another's shortcomings and disagreements."