Marriage is the cradle of life. It is the "nest" in which we all learn about love, responsibility, selflessness and duty. It is the "place" where our parents show us how to live for others, and where they teach us, by their example, that giving, not getting, is the purpose of life.

All too often, however, children grow up in homes (if they are lucky enough to have homes) where they learn from their parents (if they are lucky enough to know their parents) lessons that darken their characters for the rest of their lives. As James Baldwin once put it, . . . "Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them."

What a responsibility we have as parents, therefore, to be good role models to our children, to make it easy for them to believe that God is love, to make it natural for them to be responsible, and caring, and affectionate, and compassionate, and to implant in their minds the principles that will help them to make the future a little brighter - not only for themselves, but for everyone.

It is to the parents of this world, therefore, that this feature is dedicated. May God help you to be all that He wants you to be, so that your children may be all that you would like them to be.