HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AGAIN!

She doesn't look 62

Many years ago, 50 actually, Dad was suddenly on Cloud Nine!

Becoming a grandfather for the first time was more than a celebration of Happy Birthday, no it was a celebration of Happy Birthday every month. Pop was ecstatic, over-joyed, beside himself and getting very tiring.

The arrival was a major moment in our family history, the first grandchild was coming and even I was caught in the moment, after all, I was becoming an uncle for the first time. In

Dad

August I began the work on the baby's room, a three-wall mural of fairytales spread across the room, all kinds of joyful sights such as a merry-go-round or actually a carousel, in color and in paint, accompanied by painted fairy tales of a sort. A work of love and I think everyone enjoyed it.

Then in mid-September, it happened, Laurie Ann was finally born. With this event, we as a family waited for the strange to occur, and we were not disappointed. Dad became Dad once again, by re-inventing himself and changing who he was for the rest of his life!

Every month for the next 12 months, we had to go to Laurie Ann's house, with cake and candles in hand and a present and sing Happy Birthday. Yes, every month for the next 12 months. Dad was doing everything in his power to make the birth of his granddaughter special, unique and predictable at the same time!

She's actually about 15 in this photo

Dad had a distinct advantage over me, I couldn't do that because his granddaughter lived about 15 minutes away, mine lives about 7 hours away if you count the car rental also.

We all loved Dad, we loved who he was and how he acted, he was always getting in some kind of trouble or doing things one would not expect. He was the kind of guy that lived for the moment, didn't care what he looked like and didn't know how not to love and trust, a good man. So, of course, everyone embraced Dad ‘s behavior when it came to his special joys, his grandchildren, and everyone went along with 12 birthdays for one year! Of course, this had only one disadvantage: Laurie Ann is 62-years old today!

Do the math.

"Whatever we were to each other, that we still are. Call me by my old familiar name. Speak to me in the easy way which you always used. Play, smile, think of me. All is well."
-Henry Scott Holland