Hey KT,
I have to admit, I feel a certain pride about having been with Tess for almost 16 yrs now. But not because I feel like I've succeeded where others have failed. Rather, because of my background and my experience with my parents' divorce, and the resulting relationship I had with my father, I was determined from the youngest of ages to never leave my kids feeling that way. But again, it wasn't the divorce that caused those feelings, but the choices my father made regarding the nature of our relationship thereafter. I suppose as a child I associated the two pretty strongly, but now I can see that they needn't be tied together. I know plenty of divorced people who've been (and are) excellent parents - you are a shining example of that.

My point is simply that just as categorizing people as 'divorced' doesn't automatically tell their story, neither does categorizing them as 'married for 14 or 40 or 75 years'. Stereotypes never serve us, whether we apply them to others, or ourselves. And as I think many of your commenters (and you) would agree, time becomes less and less significant the older, and wiser, we get. Though this idea of living for today seems like a collective, societal movement affecting us quite poignantly just now, I suspect it's at least partially simply a result of our individual progression along our own paths. We're growing and changing and learning with every step, and for those of us that remain curious about that journey, said progression will most certainly lead us to the realization that quality trumps quantity every day, and twice on Sunday.

Wishing you and Jason a wonderful celebration...every day.