FedEx Spouses
My neighbor, Sara, covers her hair, and we often chat about her children and grandchildren. So I was surprised the other day when she told me, “You know I don’t have a husband, right?”
“Really?”
“My husband died 27 years ago when my children were ages 7, 6, 4, and 11 months. He got sick, and soon after that, he passed away.”
“But when it came time for my kids to get married, Hashem sent their spouses Federal Express!”
And Sara went on to tell me, one by one, the stories of how her children met and married their spouses quickly and effortlessly.
“Hashem doesn’t give you more than you can handle!” she told me, “I raised my kids all those years on my own, so when I had to marry them off, I didn’t have to lift a finger!”
This morning, I ran into an old friend who was widowed in her forties last year. She has 3 children, 2 of whom are in their early twenties.
Our oldest daughters were in nursery school together 17 years ago, so I asked about her daughter, and the conversation turned quickly to dating and marriage.
This old friend generally looks like she carries the weight of the world on her shoulders, but when she started talking about marrying off her children, it looked like an extra half ton had been added on.
So I told her the story of another widow named Sara whose children’s spouses had been sent Federal Express.
And I saw the half ton of “how will I marry off these kids all on my own” float off her shoulders, as a rare smile danced across her lips.
“Thank you, Jenny, you gave me life today!”
And I was reminded of something I just read, how connecting with other people–family, friends, acquaintances–has been proven in multiple scientific studies to add years to one’s lifespan.
And I was reminded just how easy it is to do just that, to give life.
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