True Love Lasts

Daily, I work with children whose parents' marriages are broken. Adultery. Substance abuse. Boredom. When I talk to these children, I always bear in mind something I learned at a conference long ago. Divorce is a loss - the loss of the dream of a family - and to a child, it can be every bit as significant as a death.

When my students ask me how I know so much about divorce, I have to tell them that I have learned some of what I know from books, but most of what I know, from them. At nearly the half century mark in my life, I am still blessed with an intact family, headed by two parents whose marriage I still want to emulate.

Tomorrow night, we will celebrate a true half-century milestone - my parents' 5oth wedding anniversary. In keeping with the wishes of the guests of honor, it will be a small gathering at a country club near my parent's home - appropriate for my father, the avid golfer. We will toast a love that has lasted half a century, and I will be grateful that such a thing still exists, and that I've been blessed enough to be a part of it.

Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad. We love you.