This Saturday, my son will marry his beautiful fiancee. I am so proud of the man he has become. And I am so thankful to have him as my son. He has found an amazing woman to be his wife. The two of them have a great adventure ahead of them.

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My son having a great adventure at Yosemite when he was seventeen. Taken in July 2004

Some are called to holiness through family life in the sacrament of Marriage. Today, there are those who say that marriage is out of fashion. Is it out of fashion? In a culture of relativism and the ephemeral, many preach the importance of ‘enjoying’ the moment. They say that it is not worth making a life-long commitment, making a definitive decision, ‘for ever’, because we do not know what tomorrow will bring. I ask you, instead, to be revolutionaries, I ask you to swim against the tide; yes, I am asking you to rebel against this culture that sees everything as temporary and that ultimately believes you are incapable of responsibility, that believes you are incapable of true love. I have confidence in you and I pray for you. Have the courage ‘to swim against the tide’. And also have the courage to be happy.”
~ Pope Francis, Address to the World Youth Day Volunteers, Sunday, July 28, 2014

If you would like to share your version of “Thankful Thursday” (photos or text or both) today or in the future, you can link your post to my post on Thursdays in the comments section with the title “Thankful Thursday”.