I thought you were close to my age as I read your blog. Thanks again for all your wonderful posts. I hope you are having a very Merry Christmas MoSop!

Just think, you are about 1/3 of the way to where your grandparents are in their marriage. They must be a wonderful inspiration. I saw a lovely elderly couple at the beauty salon recently. Each of them caring for the other, gently, lovingly. Their daughter had brought them for the weekly visit. She obviously was between meetings and running all over town, but also showed just as much love in caring for her parents as they did for each other. As we care and love each other, our kids and others we may not even know are learning from us. How we live in grace IS a very big deal, especially in the “trouble” of marriage the bible talks about. This week we are celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Mother Mary said it best “Here am I.” Just when we are presented with huge obstacles and challenges from God, we gain strength in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Love, Hugs and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I like to think that somewhere in the world, there was somebody named Edmund Knightley Darcy. He was a first son who had 10,000 pounds per annum and a large estate (but for some inexplicable reason, he felt compelled to take orders rather than spend his life in indolent luxury). Had he known Jane in the person, he would have been inclined to tease her for her overactive imagination and reprimand her for meddling in her friends’ affairs.

When Jane died, he was waiting for her with open arms, and they have since been taught the Gospel by like a million eager Latter-Day Saint women, and are only waiting for their work to be done in the temple before Jane Austen, having died virgo intactus, can enjoy her own conjugal felicity.

I think Hollywood does the world a disservice by innundating the world with stories that imply that finding happiness is primarily a matter of finding The One. While I think there are certain people that have a special chemistry (I know that Mrs. Sweet and I do—being with her was always different), that only gets you so far. Even if you find The One (like I did), it will be a lot of hard work, and there will be times when it feels like it would be easier to call it quits and go look for The Other One.

Marriage is hard work. But like most hard things, the rewards are multiplied a hundred fold. I never invest any effort in my marriage that is not returned, with substantial interest, in the form of peace, love, and eternal happiness. Jane Austen was fond of the term “conjugal felicity.” I think felicity is not too strong a word for a happy marriage.