congratulations!

It has been a fun several weeks.

Pictures floated around the world with unbelievable speed.

Just as my children should be allowed to share their joys first with the world before I do, so should my parents be able to do the same.

We received pictures and comments via text and phone calls and played dumb.

This picture was one of them.

This lovely young couple strolling arm in arm were leaving the courthouse after securing their marriage license.

They have been friends for years. They have been friends as couples for years before each lost their spouse several days apart last September. Their spouses were buried one day after the other in different locations. They began life alone in their respective communities and homes after marriages of over 60 years with their loved ones were ended. "Until death do you part" had left each of them without a companion for the rest of their days.

Then God saw fit to bring them together. God saw fit to bless them each with a companion for their remaining walk on this earth. Once they had decided that they wanted to spend their days drinking coffee together ... there was no point in waiting anymore. The 3 month stint in Arizona ended, in typical Pappa fashion, and the planning began.

Last Wednesday, in a private ceremony, they were wed.

 In a world that can be full of so much hate and evil, love still reigns. In world that may at times seem so hopeless, hope still lives. In a world filled with so much sadness and loneliness, there is joy.

There is a sparkle in the eye, a lightness in the step, and a joy in the living for tomorrow.

Congratulations and God's richest blessings to you Pappa and Dagmar.