Another Birthday

My sister and I virtually share a birthday. While I am five years older, she was born on 9/10 and I on 9/11. When we talked today, she succinctly summarized our lives by saying that “our lives did not start well, but they are ending well”.  So true in so many ways.

Given our problematic early lives, it is more than remarkable that we did as well as we have. We share marriages that have been strong and loving, we have children that are good and have given us wonderful grandchildren. We worked for a living, but in today’s economy, it seems so special with so many being left in the lurch.

Birthdays, for me, are celebrated every day. Each day is a gift with the opportunities to experience all that is possible. We realize that we never reach the potential of our existence, but the journey is exciting and interesting. My early life could have resulted in all sorts of catastrophes, but it served as a perpetual stimulus to never take the moment for granted and squeeze as much of life out of every moment.

My existence has never been taken for granted. It is a gift that is treasured with the realization that my existence is always in the process of becoming.  Becoming older only enhances the experience, knowing that the process ends with death. While I treasure knowing that I will always be part of the cosmos, my experience will surely be different.

Neal's Extraordinary Picture

I never knew my only grandparents that saw me as a child. They died before I was two.  I believe that my grandparents in Ireland had died before I was born.  I do remember the Brownie camera that was used occasionally by my mother. But I had no grandparent who could come addicted to taking photos of me. The addiction to taking photos of grandchildren may have progressed with Polaroid instant photography, but it was nothing compared to the compulsive use of digital photography in the ceaseless pursuit of the picture that epitomizes one’s perception of how fortunate to have such a beautiful child.

As many photos that we have taken of our six grandchildren, nothing compares to iconic gaze of our youngest Kellen of her sister, Nora, as the school year begins. It is so unbelievable that we can use our smart phones so easily and readily that nothing virtually escapes our purview. While the pervasiveness of our addiction to catching our grandchildren in a special setting or pose, it is so seldom that we nail it on the head. Our son, Neal, brought us a gift by seizing this moment to give us an insight to Kellen’s love of her sister. One could have tried a million times to push the button at the right moment without the success enjoyed by Neal and, now, us by virtue of the ease of sharing.

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