Tuesday, March 29, 2005

Birthday String

I'm sure many families deal with this phenomenon. With 365 days possible, family birth days seem to enjoy companionship. In our large family, one of the three major celebratory stretches (also June and December) begins today with my brother Kevin's 59th birthday. His arrival occurred at Sacred Heart Hospital in Spokane back in 1946.

This Friday's April Fools' day is also my son Willie's 28th birthday. He was due on March 31, but he fooled around too much in the labor process and arrived on the scene about 4:30 a.m. April 1, 1977. Of course, I'm sure Bill wouldn't have minded an extended labor for his firstborn so they could celebrate their birthdays on the same day.

Bill and his sister Margaret were born April 2, 1950, in Alexandria, Louisiana. That makes them twins, just in case readers didn't notice. Margaret was born first, and, according to Bill, took her leadership role seriously. As twins, they've been known to think alike, even with gifts. One year, for Christmas, they sent each other the same chamois shirts---same color even.

When my sister Laurie was born on April 7, 1961, I was supposed to go to one of Joanne Buhr's slumber parties. Had to tell her I couldn't cuz my mother had a baby. A couple of years later (not in April), Joanne scheduled another slumber party, and my mother had another baby, my brother Jim, the cartoonist. Once again, I had to decline the "slumbering" opportunity.

On April 9, 2002, in Pago Pago, Samoa, the triplets were born. I'm their great-aunt, I believe. I don't know if they consider me great, but family lineage designates it that way. Jacob, Justine, and Grace will turn three. Their birthday will be celebrated at Plummer's Community Hall where many members their plentiful extended families will appear, even nearly a half dozen Samoans.

We do not forget my dad's birthday on April 12. He was born in 1916 in Sheridan, Montana, and he lived a long, good life until November, 2003.

So, the birthday string begins, and we shall celebrate each of these people on their special day and reflect on their unique contributions to our lives and to the lives of others.

Happy birthday, Kevin, Willie, Bill, Margaret, Laurie, Jacob, Justine, Grace, and Harold. And, anyone else I may have forgotten.

2 comments:

Word Tosser said...

August must have been a very loving month....
My mother, April 13(and yes it was Friday)my half sister, April 4th, my birthday April 5th, my daughter's April 22, my grandson April 3rd. My uncle April 26, my grandmother on my fathers side April 27th. And I married a man whose birthday is...April 4th.
Yes, August must be a VERY loving month..

Anonymous said...

My mother-in-law had 5 sons, and then her one & only daughter on April 1st. This is a happy 50th to Nina Jane.
Our really big month though is May, with lots of cluster birthdays. One family story goes like this: On my 4th birthday, my mother asked me if I would mind too much skipping a neighborhood party. Said I didn't mind, but showed up in the afternoon w/ the gang for my party anyway, so mom obliged, made a cake, had a party, and then late that night delivered my little sister. She's such a trooper.