Blog 2313 – 02.22.2022
To The Birthday Boys, Greg and Jacob
Today is one of those special number days Oh Two, Two Two, Twenty Twenty Two. My dear departed daughter Emily before her passing just after her thirty-second birthday said, “Dad you just have to live at least till your eighty-third birthday for the date will be One One, Two Two, Three three – 11/22/33.” Who would want to miss a special birthday date like that? I will do my best to stick around for it.
Many of my personal favorite blogs have been tributes. I especially enjoy praise pieces where I get to extol the highest and best, the godlikeness, that I see in others. Yesterday, was the birthday of my handsome nephew Greg, my lovely wife Linda’s lovely sister Sarah’s son. And today is Greg’s lovely sister Michelle’s handsome husband Jacob’s birthday. I considered myself blessed indeed to be surrounded by so many beautiful people.
In my wife’s family, my family, there has long been a tradition of celebrating family members birthdays who fall close together on the same day. My wife and her older brother Jack have birthdays two days apart and so they growing up celebrated their birthday on one of the days in between. The confusion that came out of this was that most of her young life till she had to get a copy of her birth certificate to attend college my wife and her immediate family mistook her birthday for July 31 when according to the official records it is actually July 30th.
Lovely Linda is currently being treated in hospital for some confusion that at times has her a bit uncertain as to where she is and what her actual birthday is. This has brought a bit of sadness and uncertainty to her whole family so for Greg and Jacob’s birthday dinner tonight at a restaurant called Gringo’s I have planned a special birthday gift for the both of them. Michelle has on occasion read my blog so to keep this surprise a true surprise I will wait to tell you all about it tomorrow.
Instead, I will tell you a little bit about the birthday boys. I have known Greg the longest, since he was about three with long dark curls and in a sharp Buster Brown type suit, his mother always dressed him to the nines and the only times I ever saw him dirty was when he stayed with us and made mud pies with our little boy Jonathan. Greg has always had a smile that could melt an iceberg and light up any room with or without birthday candles. Four years older than Jon he was for several of his young years like a a big brother. A riff in the family that kept the boys apart for many years was hurtful to us all, but, I think, especially to those two. Any occasion since when I can see the both of them together again is an especially cheerful one to me. Greg is a quiet, intelligent, handsome and caring man and makes his mother and all of us who know and love him proud.
Jacob, another handsome nephew is also one whose kindness and gentleness is legendary. In addition to being a loving husband to Michelle he is a loving father to his two handsome sons, Connor and Carter. I did tell you that beautiful people run in our family. It is a big, big family circle that like the Universe includes us all.
I’m sorry that Gringo’s seating capacity is limited or I would invite you all to see the birthday boys opening all their surprise birthday gifts tonight. Lovely Linda, not being there, will be missed, but the family that can gather should and celebrate our two birthday boys. Birthdays are special days and Greg and Jacob are very special guys, men to whom the term gentleman truly applies. My hat is off to you both, now will somebody please cut that beautiful delicious looking cake. Michelle, you out did yourself again.
Your friend and fellow traveler,
David White
A Duet With My Baby
theencouragingword 