ILLUSTRATION: I LOVE YOU ANYWAY

Overcoming the odds is like the man who finally decided to ask his boss for a raise in salary.

It was Friday. He told his wife that morning what he was about to do, All day the man felt nervous and apprehensive.

Late in the afternoon he summoned the courage to approach his employer. To his delight, the boss agreed to a raise.

The man arrived home to a beautiful table set with their best china. Candles were lit, and his wife had prepared a festive meal.

Immediately he figured that someone from the office had tipped her

Finding his wife in the kitchen, he told her the good news. They embraced and kissed, then sat down to a wonderful meal.

Next to his plate the man found a beautiful lettered note. It read: “Congratulations, darling! I knew you’d get the raise! This festive dinner that I made you will tell you how much I love you."

While on his way to the kitchen to get dessert he noticed that a second card had fallen from her pocket.

Picking it off the floor, he read: "Don’t worry about not getting the raise! You deserve it anyway! This festive dinner that I made you will tell you how much I love you."