Dear Pat and Joe,
Happy Anniversary. If not for The Annual Missy Project Fund Raiser which I will let Joe explain, I would be there.
It's hard to believe, but Joe and I have been friends for almost 25 years, half of your 50 years of matrimony. It sounds funny even saying it. I was going to write a short anecdote or two about cooking the Cuban meal back in '94 and Pat and Joe gathering around me while I was cooking making me feel like I had my own cooking show, or how I go out of my way to get Pat to take pictures of Joe and me just to watch her try to get Joe to make a normal face - you know Joe and his 'faces', or some of the great war stories the Original Major Joe would tell us that put our little cold war stories to shame. But as one that has had great difficulty in relationships, I can't help but be in awe of what real commitment is. 50 years is a testimony to patience, tolerance, and of course love and respect. The very best of human qualities.
Here is what I've gotten out of my lightening quick 25 year encounter with the Hoffman's. I have been accepted with love and welcomed unconditionally. I have been treated as a son and a brother. I have been provided council but never judged. I have been given the great gifts of laughter and fellowship.
The riches I have received from Pat and Joe and entire Hoffman clan are immeasurable. I can't imagine what my life would have been like without the Hoffman family in it, and I'm glad I will never know.
Luke 6:43-44 says: "No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by it's own fruit."
Pat and Joe can be recognized as the Grandparents of Owen, Karsten, Sammy, Grant, and Luke, the Parents of Tracy, Darren, and Joe, and the in-laws of Kyla and Sara. They are also recognized by this self-appointed son as role models for all their wonderful fruit.
With Love and Respect,
Ralph
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