Musings On A QUARTER OF A CENTURY

A story is told of a man who is celebrating his silver wedding anniversary. His family and friends have all gathered around him to celebrate this momentous occassion. Only this poor man sits at the head of the table crying silently into his hands. His best friend approaches him and asks him gently, "Why are you crying??". He answers that early on in his marriage he and his wife were having severe marital difficulties, so much so that he contemplated homocide. His lawyer strongly advised him to control himself, reminding him that the punishment for such a heinous crime would be 25 years in prison. The guest of honor turns to his friend and exclaims, "Today I would be a free man!!!!".

Today's Hebrew calendar marks our 25th wedding anniversary. How much has passed along with the years. We have to our great sadness, due to the normal passage of time, lost loved ones. Yet through it all we have built a family - strong new shoots replenishing the family tree - children and grandchildren, hopefully carrying on our goals of living a life infused with Torah, dedicated to family and making a difference in the community. We are very grateful to Hashem.

{You might ask why I juxtaposed that joke with my sappy/serious post. The answer is simple. What one thing is important to getting through married life with your sanity intact? HUMOR! :) }