18 years ago today was one of those rare “change my life forever” experiences. Less than four months after we met, and six weeks after I asked her to marry me, I stood in front of a room full of family and friends to exchange covenantal vows with Veronica Lassen and made it all official. It was a grand and glorious day, and, as I said, it transformed my life in ways that I continue to discover even now. We had no way of knowing that in just over six years the world would turn upside down and darkness would fall. She has now been gone almost twice as long as we were together. But even so, I wouldn’t change what happened on that snowy January day in 2004. Sharing life with her taught me how to love in ways that have profoundly contributed to shaping the rest of my days. I am still learning to live more fully into the life she helped to open up for me. We never know what the future holds, so each moment is worth celebrating. Gratitude abounds.