My wife is a saint. She puts up with me, even when I am grumpy.

I knew before we got married that she was a saint. She seeks God’s will and cares for people. I wanted to spend my life with someone like that, someone who makes me better by being, and by encouraging me to be better. I do try, but, even with that, sometimes I get grumpy.

Which may be happening with increased frequency as I get older. Tilting at windmills gets wearing at times, and I take out my frustrations on those around me. Mostly by being grumpy.

Men in this culture are conditioned to be problem solvers, to fix things. Yet so much of what e are confronted with on a daily basis seems to be unfixable.

No wonder so many people are grumpy. It isn’t just me.

Social media has probably made things worse. It heightens a disconnect between perception and reality. The angry people always seem to have their voices amplified. Common sense seems to be in short supply.

People seem to be spending increasingly large amounts of time on social media sites. It’s a downhill spiral, with no bottom in sight.

I’d say we could fix the problem by just unplugging, but that isn’t realistic, is it? Once you open Pandora’s box you’ve let the demons loose. What comes next is beyond your control. Take a couple of weeks off and the seductive whisper of social media will still be there when you return.

As Larry Norman used to say, as he looked at the direction society was going, “I’m not a pessimist; I’ve just been thinking.”

Me too, but sometimes it makes me a little grumpy. I’m working on it. Not always successfully.

Nowhere in our wedding vows will you find the word “grumpy.” It never occurred to us when we were preparing for the wedding that grumpiness might become an issue. We were young, and I suppose somewhat naive.

Back then we saw the world in more optimistic terms. There was potential for things to get better. The future wasn’t gloom and doom. *And nor is it today – I’m not a pessimist.) Who knew what adventures lay ahead?

Since this day, 39 years ago, when we said our vows, life has had its ups (mostly) with the occasional down. We’ve lived in three continents, raised two children and had successful careers. We have been blessed with family and friends, and the knowledge that we have walked together along the path God has called us to.

Today is a day of celebration and remembrance. I’m going to try not to be grumpy. The curmudgeon may return tomorrow.