When Georgette and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary, we received a card from one of my younger sisters. On the front of the card it said: “Congratulations, You Did It The Old Fashioned Way!” On the inside of the card it said: “You Stayed Marrried! Happy Anniversary!”
About six months ago I got a telephone call from a man I’ve known for over 15 years. He and his wife have been married over 20 years. They have a large family with children in college, high school, and grade school. The man told me he had recently moved out of his house and into an apartment and was going to file for divorce. He had consulted with a family law attorney and didn’t like him, so he wanted to know if there was anyone I could recommend.
A quote I like from Thomas S. Monson states, “It has been said that the gate of history turns on small hinges and so do people’s lives. The choices we make determine our destiny.”
One of the fundamental concepts taught by the Catholic Church is that God gave each of us a “free will” to do whatever we choose to do and that He will not (and does not) force us to do anything.
Last week a woman that I know called my office in tears. She and her husband are solid Catholics who are doing their best to raise their children as good Catholics and productive members of society. Although they both have full time jobs, they’ve been having financial problems for the last couple of years. About five or six months ago, one of the banks they owe money to filed a lawsuit against them. The bank is now in the process of seizing some of their assets. When the woman called she was in a state of panic. (She should have called me a year ago, but like most people, she put it off because she thought they could work things out on their own.)
A few definitions from Webster’s Dictionary:
Last year an organization based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Mission: Readiness – Military Leaders for Kids, published a report with the title, “Ready, Willing and Unable to Serve.” I don’t know the date that the report was formally published because it didn’t give a date of publication. All it had was a copyright of 2009.
On New Year’s day (in the evening), my wife and I went to the theatre and saw the movie Avatar. I wanted to see it after observing its meteoric rise in popularity (and sales), not only in the United States, but all over the world.