GOOD MORNING WORLD
I had intended to write about one specific birthday today with additions of two others that I knew. When I went to face book briefly I saw many other birthday wishes being offered to friends and children of friends and acquaintances of friends. May evidently is a big birthday month. Looking from that perhaps a conclusion could be made that September is a month for romance? Shine on Harvest moon?
Today is my Aunt Pauline’s birthday. She is my dad’s young sister. She is 88. She is one of the kindest women I know. I do not think I have ever heard her say a bad word let alone speak ill of anyone. She cares for her family and worries for them and others.
I often think about her as a young woman. She is and was very pretty. As quiet as she is now I am assuming she was very shy. It intrigues me as to how she came to marry my uncle. He was a gregarious fun loving and big in stature as well as nature. They were an interesting couple. He gave her the world almost literally as in their later years they traveled often in their RV in the US and other countries.
One of my favorite Aunt Pauline stories is about a car. After my mother died she, and Dad’s other two sisters, helped out as often as they could. One summer day my sister and I wanted to go swimming as did my two cousins. Aunt Pauline pulled up in this huge blue Cadillac with fins as large as an airplane’s almost. It was a new car and she said she told Uncle Archie that she would only drive it occasionally as it was too ostentatious. As a kid I thought it was wonderful – it got us to the lake and that was all I cared about!!!
I think I can probably say without too much exaggeration that the best gift she received was on her 46th birthday when her only son and his wife gave her her first grandchild! I mean really how do you top that?
That grandchild, Matthew, was the first in the line of second cousins. Matt’s dad is the LE2 I spoke of a couple of days ago. His wife Janet, my sister Paula (named for Aunt Pauline) and I were all pregnant at the same time. Matt came first in May. Our son came next in June and my niece was born in July. I have some really cute pictures of the three of them when we would get together. We lived away from the other two so this only happened occasionally for us. The other two cousins grew up together. So Happy Birthday to Matt as well.
The last birthday is Miss Joanna. She is the daughter of one of my BFFs. Unfortunately my best friend died suddenly a few years ago. I know I have spoken about her previously as we honor her every year on her birthday with a toast!
After she passed away Joanna and I remained in touch through emails occasionally. This led to a continual contact so much so that when I was in Maine last month I invited her and her crew down for a Sunday dinner with birthday cake as they ALL have birthdays in May. Happy Birthday today Joanna, and on the 13th to Drew and the 15th to Maia!!! I already wished Trish a Happy birthday on May 7th!!!
I joke that Maia is 2 months to the day younger than our grandson Beau born on March 15th and I think we ought to simply betroth them and keep the family connection going forward!
May the birthday month. What a wonderful way to celebrate life! I celebrate these wonderful people today! We could also celebrate John Wilkes Booth (?), Donovan, Pat Summerall, Rick Santorum and Bono who were also born this day!!!
I love birthdays and am grateful for every one I get.
…..ONWARD TO MORE MISADVENTURE…
ktsquared 