Once in a lifetime

Eighteen years ago tonight, I danced with my wife for the first time. After months of planning, we found ourselves floating through the surreal experience of our wedding. Even now, it still feels somewhat unreal. In a good way.

For anyone who knows a bit of Hebrew, each letter corresponds to a specific number. The study of those numbers is known as gematria, and has spawned more books, debates and near-riots than any area of religious study has a right to. To make a long story short, the number 18 corresponds to the Hebrew word, "chai", which means "life". Because of this significance, the number 18 shows up rather often in Judaic lore. When we give gifts, they're often multiples of 18 to signify the importance of life. When we drink wine, we don't say cheers. Instead, we say l'chaim. To life.

And in our family, the number's become a powerful symbol of why this life thing is such a neat trip and why we need to treasure it. And as I look back at 18 years of marriage, my second thought - the first one is how the heck time manages to move so quickly - is how lucky I am that my path crossed my wife's. And that it stayed crossed.

Debbie's my best friend. She doesn't just complete my sentences; she echoes what I'm thinking. We don't always agree, of course, but we always manage to figure it out. Together. My writer's voice is what it is because of her influence. I can't begin to describe what it's like to travel through life with her. Suffice to say I'm luckier than I have a right to be.

As our kids bounced into bed earlier tonight and the house slowly quieted down, I looked around at all we've built in the lifetime we've been married. From the outside, we don't look much different than any other suburban family. But from where I sit, it's an extraordinary result of a magical night 18 years ago. I'm blessed to have had 18 years so far, a lifetime with my best friend. Call me selfish for wanting more of the same.

Your turn: Please pop over to my wife's blog and say hello to her. And if you have any suggestions for building lifetimes of your own, please feel free to share them here. The world, after all, needs more happiness.