July 14, 2009

Today I am 58.

I have just spent some time searching online for hit songs during different years of my childhood and teenage years - and have created a special playlist for this week which I will call my birthday week.

As an adult the sound of July 14th still rings in my head - crystal clear - and I have wonderful memories of Mother making it such a special day. I don't care too much anymore about making it a big deal - although I did get two cards from friends - one an old high school friend who surprised me with a card. She said in the card, "Seems like we should still be playing with Barbie dolls, doesn't it?" That was endearing to read. Here we are, 58, both of us - except her birthday isn't until September. So she's a LOT younger than me - 2 months.

Mary Ann sent me a cute ecard - don't forget that I posted regarding her gift to me - the picnic tables.

I want to write about some of my childhood birthdays - wishing I had black and white pictures to post on here. That would be fun. I'll just have to draw word pictures. Right now I've been on this computer too long, picking out old songs.

Later I will edit this post and add some old memories about birthdays in the fifties and sixties.

Happy Birthday to me.

First Edit: Mother told me about the day I was born. It was hot and the hospital was not air conditioned. That's right folks, in 1951, the small hospital in Monroeville, AL - 30 min. from Evergreen - was not air conditioned. Mother's story goes like this - I was coming pretty fast, no time any pain medication - and we're not talking epidurals - it was all happening rather fast - and there was a fan blowing on Mother - the nurse had come in to the room to check on Mom, who advised the nurse that she felt like the baby was coming out. The nurse pooh-poohed her, but checked Mother anyway - sure enough. Mother said the nurse turned and ran so quickly to get the doctor that she knocked over the fan.

Things were different in 1951.

Another story goes like this. Mother was in the hospital for a few days - not sure how many. Have to check Mother's notes. Daddy was driving over to Monroeville after work - which would be after the school day ended - because he was a teacher in the high school. He was exceeding the speed limit and passed a school bus - in those days school buses only transported children who lived outside the city limits. In town kids were expected to be delivered and picked up by their parents or through a car pool or just by walking to and from school. So as daddy passed the driver of the school bus - the driver complained about his speed and careless driving - when another adult on the bus told him that was Mr. Wilkerson and his wife had just had a new baby - that he was in a hurry to see her and the new baby. They left it alone. I have always liked that story -

Isn't it funny how we begin in this world - so new and tiny and so many days ahead if the Lord ordains it. So much excitement about the new life.

I saw Ellie, Luke, Ada, and Andrew come into this world. I only heard my girls after they were delivered, due to the C-Section "curtain". It's amazing to think of our parents at that moment and their intense emotion over our being born.

It's the most amazing miracle and awesome event. When it all goes well - still - the fact that more of the births go well - than those which don't. Who could call the birth of a child an inconvenience - a mistake - something to be erased. At conception it is a new life and no man has the right to destroy it.