Dear Shae Alosius Montgomery Greenfield

It is with a full heart and a few tears that I congratulate you for your courage and good sense in proposing to the ravishing, intelligent and amazing Miss Sara Michelle. The fact you chose September 12th is significant - not just because it is one of those rare days that is not an official Jewish holiday - but because it is the day:
- Elizabeth Barrett eloped with Robert Browning (How do I love thee?)
- John F. Kennedy wed Jackie in Rhode Island (Let's focus on the love story part of that...)
- the first married couple were launched into space on the Space Shuttle Endeavour (one assumes they were still together at the landing) and,
- there were monster sightings in West Virginia (of course it is probable that happens on a daily basis).
Your courtship bears striking similarities to Elizabeth and Robert in that it started out as a long-distance affair (though Sara is not an invalid, thank God, and you Shae, are no poet!) and quickly became a love story for the ages -  a communion of two people that is epic in its strength and surrounded by a halo of hope and light. There is a moment when you see two people together and something beyond chemistry tells you that the union is just right, no re-assembly required, and that is precisely how I felt when I saw you together for the first time. Frankly, I didn't know if Shae could possibly find someone with as vibrant a spirit and as generous a heart as he has - and yet he found you, Sara. I longed for this day not just because you both mean so much to me - but because a connection like yours is so precious in the universe - it demands to be held close, revered and celebrated with all of the pageantry that our little lives allow. Congratulations on this beautiful day...I love you both more than I can say....