The occasion was a joyous one as the young bride and groom settled into their seats at the head table at the Country Club. Like most wedding rehearsal dinners, the environment was heightened by candles, flowers, special music, expensive clothes, and family and friends who had not seen each other in years. Most likely many would not embrace one another again until the next family wedding or a funeral shivered its way to the forefront. All the proper symbols of hope were present in the room: the greenery, the gifts, the invocation from the preacher, the wedding photograph (touched up as only a professional earning top dollar can effect), and the round of toasts.

As the toasts continued, from the humorous to the meaningful to the absurd, the clanging of utensils on glasses ceased when the mo…