Some history: My dad, a traditionalist and devout Jew, 78 years of age, fit as a fiddle and too handsome to handle, a wife nineteen years his junior, prides himself on his tan his physique and his ability to accept his gay daughter and her family.  With his grandchildren his pride and joy, it is sad that we only see him once to twice per year as he lives so far away in South Africa. However we speak at least once a week and are indeed very close. In our family we have had many an opportunity to yell ‘mazeltov’ when receiving celebratory news. 

Breaking the news: (dialogue)

ME: Hi Dad, howzit? (South African for ‘How ya doin?’)
 
DAD: Great Mel what about all of you?

ME: Dad, Dorit and I are getting married in Temple on the July 27th pursuant to the legalization of gay marriage in California.

DAD: OHHHHHHHHHHHHH NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! (Yells)

ME: (my reaction was to laugh in at the fragility of his emotion of overt and flagrantl shock and horror.) 

ME: Dad, what’s wrong?

DAD:  Why are you doing this Mel?

MEL: We have been together for so long; now finally we can catch up to the rest of the World and have some rights for us and the kids!

DAD: Mel it is freezing here what’s the weather like there?

I am able to find this funny, certainly at my wise age, and cannot hold this reaction against my dad as like for many traditionalists this may be quite a shock.   He called me back to say that he knew it should happen one day but that he never believed he would be around to see it.  I took that to be worthy of a big ‘mazeltov’ from me to him.