Silver Anniversaries. Some are tarnished. Some are golden.

Yom shlishi, 11 Adar aleph 5771.

We are awed by where G-d has brought us in our journey.

Twenty-five years ago, Jonathan Pollard went to prison.  Much argument has ensued over the decades about whether he deserved his fate or not.  But that man has spent 25 years in jail, for a crime that has held no other prisoner in a US jail for so long.

Twenty-five years ago, Natan Sharansky was freed from prison in the Soviet Union.  Like a boulder crashing down a mountain, the next few years changed the fate of Soviet Jewry forever.

Our second-born, shaking hands with Natan Sharansky at a simcha

Twenty-five years ago, our first son was born.  He was going to be a Heisman trophy winner, a great musician, a phenomenal chess champion.  (Okay -- a few years later, it became apparent we were putting too much on one kid; and we decided to ask G-d to give us a sibling for him, to share the burden of our expectations.)  Our eldest child and Natan Sharansky get a lot of credit for starting our spiritual journey.

An early beginning to a promising musical career -- Nachas alert: if you've got a few minutes, scroll down and listen to "City of Dreams" at least.

Big Brother no longer has to carry the entire burden.

Twenty-five years ago, our shul in Baltimore started to spread its loving and accepting brand of Chasidut.

A quarter of a century.  Some of my kids can't even fathom that.  (Joel, Sam, Jason and Josh -- explain it to them, could you?)  Lives change, nations change.  A lot, in twenty-five years.

May we share another twenty-five years...  in peace and harmony and good health.