How Long

There was a young couple, very much in love. On the night before they were to be married, they were both tragically killed in an automobile accident. They found themselves at the Pearly Gates of Heaven being escorted in by St Peter. After a couple of weeks in Heaven, the prospective groom took St Peter aside and said, "St Peter, my fiancée and I are very happy to be in Heaven but we miss very much the opportunity to have celebrated our wedding vow. Is it possible for people in Heaven to get married?"

St Peter looked at him and said, "I'm sorry. I've never heard of anyone in Heaven wanting to get married. I'm afraid you'll have to talk to the Lord God Almighty about that. I can get you an appointment."

When the appointed day came, the couple was escorted by the guardian angels into the presence of the Lord God Almighty, where they repeated their request. The Lord looked at them solemnly and said.

"I'll tell you what. Wait five years and if you still want to get married, come back and we will talk about it again."

Well five years went by, and the couple, still very much wanting to get married, came back. Again the Lord God Almighty said.

"Please wait another five years and then I will consider your request."

Finally, they came before the Lord God Almighty the third time, ten years after their first request, and asked the Lord again. This time the Lord answered.

"Yes, you may marry. This Saturday at 2:00 pm, we will have a beautiful ceremony in the main chapel. The reception will be on me!"

The wedding went beautifully. All the guests thought the bride was beautiful. But then ... a few weeks later they realized they had made a horrible mistake. They just couldn't stay married to one another. So they made another appointment to see the Lord God Almighty, this time to ask if they could get a divorce in Heaven. When the Lord heard their request, he looked at them and said.

"Look, it took us ten years to find a priest up here in Heaven. Do you have any idea how long it'll take to find a lawyer?"