A little while back, I published a post about my brother Mike's 50th birthday, and the fact that all 4 brothers were now in their 50's, leaving my mother a little verklempt. Now that February is upon us, it signifies a busy month of celebrations ... or avoidances, depending on your view ... that include various persons who are pretty darn important to me. What better way to say it than to include them in my Blog ... Am I right?
Listing them chronologically:
My brother Rob turns 52 on February 11th. Now, you're likely thinking right now, "52's not that big a deal." and you'd be sort of correct, but what you're likely not thinking about the same things I am. My brother Rob is the kind that guys strive to emulate because he's prototypically "his own man", choosing his pathway through life to suit the way he likes things. He will never "put on airs" or be anything other than who he is. Love that or hate that, it's what you get, and I personally LOVE that! He has a filter, but it doesn't always work, meaning that quips that slip past his teeth that are of the world-according-to-Rob nature, but not always be accepted with graciousness, causes some occasional animosity. The best thing about his frankness is that he has one of the greatest senses of humour of anyone I know, so the wisdom of his words are likely wrapped up in something that makes you giggle or laugh right out loud. Another fantastic quality is his bottomless generosity, something that stems from his profound sense of loyalty. If all of that isn't enough to warrant a celebration, I'm not sure what is.
Happy Birthday Rob!
February 16th, 2021, will be one that I'll mark in the calendar because it's my son's 25th! KP's not one to get excited about birthdays, but he is looking forward to the drop in insurance premiums! If that doesn't scream, "Look at me! I'm an adult!" then I've completely missed the boat. I have to tell you that I'm co-chairperson for the Barrie chapter of the Keaton Porter Fan Club ... with his Uber incredible mom, of course ... because I really couldn't be any prouder of the man he has grown to be. One of his greatest character traits, IMHO, is his steeled self-confidence, forged from a lifetime of paying little attention to the opinion of people who aren't on his priority list. Those who meet KP for the first time come away thinking, "Nice kid ... pretty quiet, though" but what they don't realize is that KP rarely speaks unless he has something to say, and if he does say it, he usually won't change his mind about it's message. He's also the proud possessor of a tremendous work ethic, and takes pride in doing a job well the first time, an incredibly valuable quality for a mechanic to have, in addition to being pretty sharp between the ears. Like my brother Rob, KP is loyal to a fault. If you've earned an entrance into the inner circle, you really need to mess up to be disbarred. While he doesn't come home often, he has been much improved at checking in more regularly. In nature, parents are completely invested in preparing their offspring to become independent and capable as quickly as possible, both so they have a high chance of survival to continue the genetic line and to get out of the nest, den or burrow. From where I stand, humans bundle that up with a plethora of emotions, leading to a sense of longing if and when their kids turn out to be so totally independent that they tend to focus less on checking in. For the record, my wife is less pleased than I am about what I see is great parenting. We LOVE him for all of his plusses and minuses!
Happy soon-to-be quarter-century birthday KP!
My bestie completes her latest loop of the sun on February 21st. Like many of her gender, she'll appreciate me avoiding the tally of years accrued since we don't share similar opinions about growing older, but I say she's like a fine bottle of Scotch ... years smooth out the taste and make it incredibly satisfying! If you haven't yet had the pleasure, here's a short synopsis of what you're missing. Joyce is an incredibly loving, compassionate, caring, selfless, generous woman who is easily at the top of the heap when it comes to being SuperMom. She is quick to smile and laugh, constantly thinks of others, and works hard to ensure those around her feel appreciated and content. She has an intensely curious personality, often sending a barrage of questions your way about a wide range of topics, something that is quaintly positive and negative at the same time. Despite the fact that we have vastly different interests, we are perfectly matched on all the important stuff resulting in a pretty awesome love affair. Incredibly, she loves me despite all of my warts and flaws, tolerating my passions and quirks, supporting me whenever I feel the burn to do the stuff that charges my batteries. I really have won the lottery and I love her more than anyone else on this planet.
Hugs and Kisses sweetheart ... Not to worry, i'll make sure it's a good day!
When Joyce said YES, oh so many years ago, I was accepted into the Foster clan with loving arms. Joyce's brother Gary and his wife Ruth have the distinction of sharing a narrow window of the calendar for their birthdays with Ruth celebrating on February 26th and Gary on the 29th. Yep, Gary's a Leap Year baby! Like Joyce, Ruth's actual number will be something you have to chance asking her yourself, but I can tell you that Gary will turn the magic age of 65 this year, although according to the traditional calendar, he's officially 16.25. Although I beat him by a calendar year, Gary is tickled pink to be retiring the day after his birthday, and is giggling like a school girl to qualify for his OAS and CPP payments. Joyce and I couldn't be happier for them both! Ontario being a pretty big place has meant that we don't get together as often as any of us would like with them living near Ottawa and us being in Barrie. The distance that doesn't impact our feelings toward them in any way, shape or form, since we get along, as Forest Gump says, "Like peas and carrots."
Happiest upcoming Birthday thoughts and wishes Gary and Ruth! And happy retirement Gary!
Last, but not least, is my dear mother. Although she is technically a March baby, she only missed sharing the Leap Year honour with Gary by a few short hours, coming into the world on March 1st. Continuing with etiquette, I'll simply share that she is a proud Octogenarian. My mom is a pretty neat person ... she's fiercely independent, sharp as a tack, and generous to a fault, on top of being confident, loving, compassionate, loyal, and kind. Coming from a great lineage of Scottish nonagenarians, she stills lives on her own, anticipating quite a few more years of self-sufficiency. As I've stumbled my way through life, what with my own adventures in marriage and parenthood, I've felt a swelling admiration for her strength in raising 4 "warts" more or less on her own as my father was "relieving suffering and stamping out disease" in 100 hour work weeks for much of their marriage. Regardless of opinion, all sons are "Mama's boys" and I love her beyond measure. I can never repay her for all that she's done, other than being the best version of me possible, since that's all she's ever asked for.
Have a glorious birthday mom. I love you to the moon and back.
Your hug and kiss will need a rain check.
You know something?
I'm pretty biased, but my life is pretty gosh darned good.
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