Well, here it is, April 14, the day before tax day.  You could not have picked a more appropriate day to pop out other than say, April 15th itself, or maybe even waited a few months till August 14th!

     For those who do not know, Dad was an accountant, and April 15th would have been so appropriate for his birthday.  Now the other recommendation of waiting till August 14th--that is an inside story and lengthy, but in brief, when Dad filed for social security, he found out that his actual birthday was April 14th!  He had always thought it was August 14th!  If you can figure out why and want to email me the correct answer, I will send you a copy of From The Frying Pan To The Jacuzzi!  If I receive no takers, I'll let you all in on the answer next week!  Wow, we've gone from blogger to puzzler!

     So Dad lives way up in the sky now, in the heavens.  He is there with Mom and a host of other family members and friends and a host of other folks that are not family nor friends, but perhaps are now!

     If there are cars in heaven, I imagine Dad is driving a Crown Victoria with fabric covered seats.  And if there are blankets and throw covers in heaven, Dad has the seats covered.  I imagine if they have cars in heaven, then they must have drive thrus.  So I am imagining that Mom is making him go to the drive thru several times a day and having a ball eating french fries and vanilla shakes in the car!!

     Dad lets his presence felt by train whistles and even when there are no train tracks for miles around, somehow Dad has a way of sending us a toot at the most opportune and meaningful moments.  It's too amazing to be anything but Dad!

     Dad passed over on May 14, 1997.  We were all with him to bid him farewell.  I miss many of his idiosyncracies and kindnesses.  I do not miss the annual phone call on April 15 to inquire whether or not I am in jail yet.  Dad had us all convinced that if we did not file our taxes on April 15, that we would be sent immediately to jail!.  Well, on second thought, I do miss that phone call.

     When Dad passed, I still had a great deal of "stuff" inside having to do with my relationship with him.  A lot of my "stuff" was highlighted with anger.  Since Dad's passing, I have been blessed to let go of much of that, and also blessed with a couple of very profound dreams which were just too far out and pointed to be anything other than him letting me know that he too wanted in on healing our relationship.  

     When we were still living at home, even as teenagers, it was a family tradition to stay up most of the night before his birthday (August 13) eating watermelon and laughing ourselves completely silly while decorating the breakfast nook with weaved crepe paper and humorous birthday signs.

     In the picture next to this blog, Dad is 58!  FIVE years younger than I am NOW!  Wow!  That is weird.  When it comes to Dad, I guess I still feel like I'm sixteen!  Or younger!  Hardly 63.  Hey, big guy in the sky, I am 63 now!

     So tell us what you want for your birthday this year.  Buying Dad a meaningful gift was a bigger challenge than nuclear disarmament!  We tried everything to get him to say, "Wow, this is such a cool gift.  I've always wanted one of these!!"  So remember, folks, that's what our kids want to hear from us no matter what the gift is.  This is one time it is perfectly acceptable to LIE!

     A few questions before I close.  Does Mom have a piano up there and are you just sitting down and relaxing and listening to her play?  Who do you play cribbage with up there?  Do they have a joke book in heaven and everyone knows all the jokes so well that all they have to do is call out "Number 33" and everyone laughs hysterically?  We do miss your jokes even though you told them over and over and over and over and over and over!  We miss your barbecues, and I think all of us keep your barbecue tradition going in some way or another.  I've been using the Farberware lately!  I think it is the one you gave us!

     I've been thinking about you all day long and will continue to do so till I hear the last train whistle late tonight!

     Love ya.  Say hello to Mom and everyone else!  By the way, how many candles do they put on your cake?  How does that work?  I'll peer far and wide into the heavens tonight, looking for a mysterious glow, and if I see one, I'll have my answer.

     HAPPY BIRTHDAY  

This is Brittany and these are her little doggies at Christmas Time, Buddha and Angel

 

     Some folks are getting old and some folks are just plain old. What they have to say is even old! For many young folks, Mom and Dad fall into that latter category! How does anyone really know when they are old? Well, you know you’re old when you think Alzheimers is a beer rather than the reason no one will let you be by yourself anymore.

     So what’s with all the OLD talk? Well, it’s someone’s (who is young but growing old GRADUALLY, and with GRACE) BIRTHDAY!

     Guess who was born on April 13? Can you believe it? Thomas Jefferson, Butch Cassidy, and Nobel prize winner, Samuel Beckett. AND, most important of all, BRITTANY ICE, 1986, in Oakland.

     Brittany is very much like Thomas Jefferson, Butch Cassidy and Samuel Beckett. She is a "go-getter." When she was only four years old, she wanted to attend preschool. So she got on her tricycle, and unbeknownst to her Mom, headed for preschool. On another occasion that same year, she was just dying for a fruit bar. So she grabbed her purse and headed for the store (again unbeknownst to Mom). In recent years, Brittany decided to set her sights on Santa Barbara and guess where Brittany lives, works, and goes to school? Brittany does absolutely everything she sets her heart and sight on. Not too many of us can say that.

     When I realized that Brittany was born in Oakland, it made me smile. That is where my Mom was born, and I will never forget the night that Brittany called my Mom and "tattled" on me for my bad language. So Brittany not only strives to be the best that she can be, but holds us all accountable to be the best we can be, even when we’re out of sorts!

     Our house is a little empty with Brittany three hours away. We initially threatened that we would be in Santa Barbara every weekend, camped out in her front yard. But so far, we’ve refrained from carrying out such outlandish and embarrassing stunts. We’ve settled for simply having the police go to her apartment to be sure she was okay. Hey. What are worrisome Moms for anyway? Brittany did leave behind two little doggies, Angel and Buddha. Whenever we have a difficult decision to make, Angel and Buddha always bark, "What would Brittany s recommend?"

     Brittany is looking at being a psychiatrist. There is certainly a need for good psychiatrists, someone who will take a few extra minutes to listen and will be there to work with you on the right dosage and unexpected side effects. So scoot over those of you who have little or no bedside manner. Brittany is on her way.

     Brittany’s friends will tell you that she is loyal beyond loyal. She is always there for her friends, wherever there might be.

     So together, on the count of three, let’s hear it. Happy Birthday. And Brittany, click on the link right here to listen to the Beattles sing Happy Birthday TO YOU.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glNjsOHiBYs