This topic is so obvious yet I have yet to write about it. It may be partly because it is so close to home, for my boys.  I was blessed to have my father and mother in my life completely and lovingly, until they died in recent years (at 89 and 90).  They loved me, supported me, and told me the truth when I needed to hear it, whether I wanted it or not.

As is so often the case, I found their wisdom to be true once I survived my teens and particularly when I became a parent myself.  They also modeled a love affair and marriage that was the envy of all their friends, since they knew each other for 73 years and were married for 66.  It was a wonderful match. They survived two of their three children, but always stood by each other and I am so grateful for all that they did for me.