Dorine at Fifty

• Dorine turns fifty years old today, which seems surreal until I remember that she and I have been married nearly twenty-four years (and that she was twenty-six at the time of our wedding). I love her very deeply and can't imagine what life would be like without her, something I contemplate whenever I think of any of the two-dozen-or-so other young ladies I dated or with whom I was infatuated as a teenager or young adult. I credit her, and her alone, with raising our five very decent and loving children. She is the greatest blessing I have ever been given or am likely ever to receive. My only regret is that I haven't quite been the husband, father, priesthood holder, or breadwinner that she deserved, although I know she loves me every bit as much as I love her.