This post was originally written on September 19th of this year, before I moved the blog to this new location:
It’s a little after midnight, so it’s officially September 19th. I’ve been thinking about it on and off all day, Dad’s birthday is today, and he would have been 83. Dad wasn’t much for having a fuss made over him, but Mom never liked a birthday to go by without some kind of celebration, and Dad loved Mom enough to go along with it.
I really don’t have big memories about his family birthday celebrations, but do remember his last birthday 2 years ago. Much of the Dad I knew had been slowly slipping away due to several strokes over a 5 year period, but he was sitting up in his chair when I went to see him. He was wearing a blue flannel shirt, probably one I had given him on a previous birthday. I gave him a bottle of his favorite aftershave with a balloon tied to it, he loved balloons, they had become a tradition. He tried so hard to communicate, but I was happy just to see him smile warmly at me. I’ll never forget that day. I didn’t know then that my daddy would only be here for exactly one more month to the day. Happy birthday Daddy, I miss you and look forward to celebrations to come in heaven!!
When I was quite small, it wasn’t uncommon for all of us - my 2 brothers, sister, Mom, and myself with Dad driving - to pile into the car and go out for a Sunday drive. We lived in Central Jersey at the time, and my Dad would take us to an airport nearby to watch planes take off and land. He loved planes, maybe because he worked as an engineer in the aeronautics department of his company. It was fun to watch the planes.
I have a vivid memory of asking my Dad about the “thing on the pole” that blew one way or another, or just hung there. I received a great lesson on what a wind sock is, and how it helps the pilots with take offs and landings, the part the wind plays in flying. I don’t remember a lot of the details of what my Dad said, but I do remember his voice, and how special it was to have a rare moment like that with him. He went to school nights for 10 years to get his degree, worked during the days, and studied at night…so yes, those moments were rare treasures. The picture shows him holding me when I was less than a year old.
Some memories need a little help…what I mean is, I really don’t remember my birth, but my Mom does, so not long ago, I asked her to tell me about it. It wasn’t an uneventful birth, I caused some trouble from the get-go. I was born 2 days after Christmas in 1951, and it was a difficult birth for my Mom. There was a good bit of bleeding, and the doctor came out to the waiting room (yes, that’s back when Dads paced back and forth and sat in the waiting room while Moms delivered) and gave my Dad a choice…he didn’t think he could save us both. I’m sure you can guess what his choice was…but thankfully, Mom and I both made it, and both of us are still alive and kickin’ today. Now when I heard that story as a young child, it was hard to think I was the second choice, but as an adult, a wife, and a Mom, I understand. And I do believe my Mom, being a woman of great faith, was praying between the pains, and God answered those prayers.
I do a lot of “remembering” lately. A lot has happened to put me in that mode, including the passage of time, and the changes in life that come as years are added to it. I’ve been a “blogger” for a while, and one day it just struck me to start recording my memories. I’ll have to decide over time just how personal they will be. Over time, they’ll be “filed” in the “Categories” list by the time of life they represent. Oh yeh, you should know, I’m a “Baby Boomer“, born in December of 1951. So was in Grammar School from the mid-50’s to mid-60’s (the Beatles, etc. years); in High School during the last half of the ’60’s (Man on the Moon, Woodstock, hippy years); and, well, the rest is history as they say.
