Blog 1477 – 10.03.2019

Clouds, Special Days, and Half-Birthdays

In both high school journalism and creative writing classes I was taught to drill down and limit the subject scope of an article or piece and to not take off a bigger bite than I could easily chew, but then rules are made to be broken they say, stretched, or re-interpreted. That is the reason we have so many, law enforcement people, regulators, judges, lawyers and politicians. But, I best get busy with my three subjects or this blog will end up over long.

Clouds are wondrous things to behold and you can see most anything in them and they come like people in all shapes and sizes, and in different hues too especially at sunrise and sunset. They are all beautiful in their own way even the stormy, rain, ice, or snow-filled ones. When they bounce together they produce thunder and lightning putting on quite a sound and light show to hear and to behold.

Special days like clouds come in all shapes, sizes and colors too. Since my late twenties I have had more than one good job that my hire date was October 3rd and in that regard and several others it has since been a very special day to me. My daughter’s mother, Sandra, and I believe that our beloved and dearly departed daughter, the incomparable Miss Emily Elaine White, was conceived on October 3rd, 1979, making it a very special day indeed.

My son, Jonathan David James Wallace White, handsome, intelligent, and equally remarkable and incomparable as his sister, was born on April 3rd, 1990 almost ten years after his sister. His lovely mother, Linda, and I have cherished every moment of his life. On his past birthday, his twenty-ninth, a friend of mine, Debra Durst, in Wisconsin received her first grand baby, Amelia Curtis. Being a first baby and first grand baby she will get lots of gifts and attention on her birthdays and to make my annual present stand out I have decided that since I love October Thirds so much and since this one happens to be Amelia’s first half birthday, I want to celebrate it and all her half birthdays and at the same time do something special for my son on his half-birthdays from now on. And I know that usually only babies and children mark their age in months (babies) and fractions (children) but then we are all somebody’s baby and there is that child that still lives in each of us. I have missed a few of J’s half birthdays so I have a bit of catching up to do.

When my niece Lauren was born on my birthday, November 22, 1977, I bought her a little pink safe bank and put some Eisenhower dollars in it for her. I gave it to my brother, Robert, to keep for her. I have already sent a real pink safe to Amelia’s parents, Alicia and Thomas, with a Walking Liberty Silver Dollar dated 2019. My intention is to send her each new year’s edition on her half birthdays as long as I live thereby insuring one little girl at least will be wishing me a long and prosperous life. JDJWW I already have seventy-eight solid silver one ounce coins laid away, safely kept, for you. I intend to add several more each year that I live as an ever growing memorial to the treasure that you are to your mom and me and to all who know and love you.

The rub, Jonathan, is that you have to out live me to collect them. A long and prosperous life to us both and to everyone is my wish. Or as Mister Spock more succinctly put it, “Live Long And Prosper.”

And my words here, Happy Half-Birthday to Amelia and Jay and to any other April 3rd Birthday folk out there.

Your friend and fellow traveler,

David White