All men have a sweetness in their life. That is what helps them go on.
It is towards that they turn when they feel too worn out.
Albert Camus
Today is the 27th anniversary of two of my favorite people - these sweethearts who don't look a day over 25.
All men have a sweetness in their lives, said Camus, and without it they cannot go on. My dad's sweetness has been my mom, from the day he first wooed that pretty girl of seventeen. The life of a small business owner is unpredictable, and often chaotic. Through it all Mom has been that gentle, loving force of sweetness and goodness and routine that keeps him grounded. They are so happy together. And their happiness has not been in the least bit self-centered. Instead, they took it upon themselves to bring six wonderfully wacky kids into this world. They raised us from a bunch of banshees...
...to the very closest of friends.
They love us so deeply and so well, even when they aren't quite sure what to do with us.
They appreciate good food and can put it away with the best of them.
They are fiercely protective of each other and their relationship.
They still play dress-up and make-believe together.
They have single-handedly raised and educated a colony of offspring...
...and welcomed new additions with open arms.
They love their kids more than anything on this earth...
...with the exception of each other.
They are world-class travelers, full of creative spontaneity.
And every April 26 for 27 years, they get dressed in wedding clothes and pore over their wedding album like it was yesterday.
Every April 26 our family huddles around the TV and watches, again, the timeless vows whispered by candlelight. Every year the mood is magical, unbroken even when my adolescent uncle is overcome by a suffocating tie and faints in the middle of the ceremony. Every April 26 my siblings and I are reminded, again, of the love that Mom and Dad have lavished upon us - first cultivated in their early years and growing, ever more strong, selfless and free - a love that established us on a solid foundation, saw us through our most difficult years, provided far above and beyond our needs and continues to intercede and care for us.
Mom and Dad, words cannot express what a gift you both are. God knew exactly what He was doing when He knit all these Hoffmans together. You are both gems, and have given your children much to aspire to in our own marriages. May God bless you more richly than ever in this coming year together!