An expensive vase broke in the home of Reb Efraim Margolios zt’l (renowned for his sefarim Matteh Efraim, Yad Efraim, and others). His wife was very upset about this, but he remained calm. She asked him, “How can you be so calm? We just lost so much money?”

He replied, “Ask me this question in a year from now and then I’ll explain.”

Exactly a year later, she asked him for an explanation. He asked her, “Are you still upset about the vase?”

“That happened a year ago. It doesn’t bother me anymore.”

He replied, “Your father chose me to be his son-in-law because he said I’m an iluy (genius) and I grasp matters quickly. When the vase broke, I immediately grasped how I would feel today, a year later, and that’s why I didn’t let it bother me then.”

~ R’ Elimelech Biderma. Shlita