Ready, Willing And Able

A well-meaning mother was becoming increasingly worried that her daughter seemed discouraged and depressed. Perhaps projecting her own inner struggles onto her daughter, the mother believed that the young woman’s life would not be “complete” until she settled down and got married. So right or wrong, the mother convinced her that marriage was the answer to her prayers — or at least the answer to her mother’s prayers. And one day the daughter announced that a nice young man seemed interested, and would soon be calling. “What is his religion?” the mother probed. “I’m afraid he has none,” the daughter replied. “He’s an agnostic.” “Oh dear,” the mother said. “That’s trouble. It would be difficult for you, a devout believer, to live with an agnostic. You’ll have to sell him on the faith.” Then came the first date. “How did it go?” quizzed the mother. “Beautifully,” the girl said, “I sold him on Baptism.” After the second date, the daughter reported she had sold him…