40th Wedding Anniversary

Today my parents celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. In a world littered with broken promises and half-hearted commitments, this is a major achievement. Especially because it was not a mere passage of years. But a true celebration of a deep and abiding love. And the ability to rise about petty grievances and forgive slights. The tenderness and love they still demonstrate towards each other after 40 years together has been a major source of inspiration to me.

Early morning we went to the temple where my parents got married 40 years ago. My mom's favorite deity is Perumal - in fact she always talks about how after she visited Him in Tirupati all things in her life fell into place - her career and her marriage. In the temple I gave my mom a gift and a beautiful card which so aptly expressed my feelings. In Indian culture we have a very important saying - Matha, Pitha, Guru, Deivam - which translates into Mother, Father, Guru and God. This elegant phrase captures the holy trinity of sacred love encompassing one's parents, one's teachers and one's God. Parents have an exalted and near-divine status within a person's universe. They are a child's first guardians, teachers and embodiment of divine love.

The card read:

Mom & Dad,

Children seldom understand
the trials their parents face
the dreams deferred, or sacrifices made
until one day when they are grown
with grown up choices, too
and realize the debt they can't repay

Only you two know
all that's gone into your marriage
or how many challenges you've faced
But I know how much I love you
for all that you've done to stay together.

t couldn't hvae been easy
to keep your patience
your sense of humor,
but you have always pulled through.

And in the process you have taught me a lot about
the power of commitment,
the importance of family
and how to get by
in a less-than-perfect world,

I'm very proud of you for that
Happy Anniversary