The blessings of this world!

Last night (Saturday) my wife and I were privileged to witness a marvelous event.

At about 3:30 PM, a long time neighbor and friend called to inform us that the mother and father of some of my former high school friends were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. They were holding this informal affair at a local Mexican food restaurant near my home at 6:00 PM that night. I knew we had to go and we arrived at about 6:20.

This family is amazing and I have always admired them greatly. Their oldest, Mark, is an obvious first born child. (If you do not know to what I am referring, pick up a copy of Dr. Kevin Leman's brilliant piece entitled "The New Birth Order Book.") His family of four children is wonderful and his wife of 27 years still looks as beautiful as she did on her wedding day.

Eric, the next in line, was the one I spent the most amount of time with, both in high school and for a time after our respective graduations. The last time I saw him prior to this night was 14 years ago at a sports bar in Ft. Worth. Wow! He's a wonderful man with a successful career as a sports assignment editor for a North Texas newspaper. This is right up his alley as he was a star football player in school. He loves his work, and it shows in his voice as he talks about it.

Vicki, with whom I graduated, is married to Bill, another fellow graduate and classmate. They have been married forever, or at least that's how long it seems since we graduated high School in 1979. Bill joined the Army in 1988, and recently returned from a tour in Iraq. I was honored to shake his hand and thank him for his service. It's unsung heroes like him that enable working slobs like me to sleep at night. I also thanked Vicki for her service as a military mans wife. That's no easy job. Holding their beautiful six year old daughter I'll bet they made a touching sight as they welcomed Bill home upon his return.

Lloyd, the younger of the group, was there with his fiance and son. He always has a smile on his face and hearty handshake. I have seen him several times over the years and have fond memories of each encounter. He's a good guy.

Eloy and Clara, the guests of honor, made their way to the restaurant at about 6:40. As they walked into the room, everyone clapped and hugged them and they cried with joy. A brief walk down memory lane from 50 years of photos was shown via laptop computer and projected onto a wall, all while beautiful music played. We cried some more.

These folks have been through it all: The joy and agony of raising 5 kids...as well as some of their friends. The thrill of watching their children marry and bring grand-children into the world. The pain of losing one of their own sons, Peter, the youngest. They did it all with honor, love, faith in God and hard work. In the end, I guess that's the bottom line: stick to it and keep moving forward.

Thanks, folks, for setting such a fine example for the rest of us.