Monday, August 14, 2006
Happy Birthday To Me
When I began publishing this blog over a year ago I included
the disclaimer at the top of the page that sometimes I might
veer from the path for something just a little different. Today
is one of those times. Instead of commenting on hot issues in
this city - of which there are plenty - I'm taking a different
tack, for today.
Today is the 65th anniversary of my birth. Some folks think that's a reason to celebrate - others are likely "booing" at the top of their lungs about now. OK, I accept that - right back at ya.
Yesterday - on a perfect summer evening - several dozen friends, neighbors and family members helped us celebrate this day a little early. We met, hugged, talked, ate, and were entertained by the best up-close magician you'll find anywhere - our friend Johnny "Ace" Palmer. In the background we heard music of "my" era - the 50s and 60s - and enjoyed that little trip down memory lane. We looked at old photographs, recalling the days they depicted, and watched the children laugh at us as our images changed over more than six decades. We had fun.
The best part of that celebration, and the preparation for it, was thinking about the old friends who would be in attendance - and some who wouldn't. It reinforced for me just how important friends are in my life. Among the assembled mob were a few people I've known since elementary school, including my high school senior class president, with whom I have had a standing lunch engagement for the past 20 years or so. He and I started in kindergarten together. Another old friend - we're all old now - is the woman who was our prom queen. She's still as lovely and vivacious as ever.
My "baby sister" and her husband joined the party. She's now a grandmother twice over. Some of our friends drove more than 100 miles to attend, then turned around and drove back home that night. I'm grateful for that.
Other attendees have known me for shorter periods of time, but have been equally important to me in my life. There is no adequate way to describe the joy I feel when I think about how they've affected my life. They've included us in their lives as they had children, then grand children. We marvel at the wonderful job they've done raising their kids to be upstanding young adults and parents. We're grateful to have been included along the way.
The world has changed since I was born. I was just about 4 months old when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and the victory over Japan is celebrated on my birthday - VJ Day is August 14th. Now, three generations later, Japan is one of our best friends and greatest trading partner. Who knew?
Today the world is similar, too. Today we face yet another challenge to our very existence as we battle an enemy who doesn't seem to worry about dying - or having his family die - as long as they can drive our way of life to extinction. This enemy, though, is more amorphous than were our enemies during World War II. Fighting this enemy is a little like trying to hold onto a handful of jello - you just can't get a grip on it. I'm confident, though, that our leaders will find the solution.
I'm amazed at the changes that have taken place since I was born. For example, the city in which I live, Costa Mesa, didn't exist at that time. It was the location of the Santa Ana Army Air Base, a training site for World War II flyers. Many of those young men who trained here and survived the war returned to this idyllic location to make their lives. Some became civic leaders and launched Costa Mesa as a city in the early 1950s and shepherded it through the early years.
Today this city, with a population nearing 115,000 people, is a vibrant hub of commerce and culture for Orange County. It's not without it's problems, as those of you who read this blog with any frequency know, but is still a wonderful community.
The technology that has developed since I was born has changed the world several times. Television, video recorders, digital cameras, cell phones, personal computers and on and on and on.... Advances in agriculture now allow us to feed most of the world's population when permitted to do so by their governments. On the flip side, "advancements" in armaments now make it possible for us to eradicate all life on this planet if we choose to do so.
Through all these changes, over all these years, nothing is more valuable to me than my friends and family. So, a big Happy Birthday to me. I'm grateful for the gift of friendship that I receive every day.
9:42 pm pdt
Today is the 65th anniversary of my birth. Some folks think that's a reason to celebrate - others are likely "booing" at the top of their lungs about now. OK, I accept that - right back at ya.
Yesterday - on a perfect summer evening - several dozen friends, neighbors and family members helped us celebrate this day a little early. We met, hugged, talked, ate, and were entertained by the best up-close magician you'll find anywhere - our friend Johnny "Ace" Palmer. In the background we heard music of "my" era - the 50s and 60s - and enjoyed that little trip down memory lane. We looked at old photographs, recalling the days they depicted, and watched the children laugh at us as our images changed over more than six decades. We had fun.
The best part of that celebration, and the preparation for it, was thinking about the old friends who would be in attendance - and some who wouldn't. It reinforced for me just how important friends are in my life. Among the assembled mob were a few people I've known since elementary school, including my high school senior class president, with whom I have had a standing lunch engagement for the past 20 years or so. He and I started in kindergarten together. Another old friend - we're all old now - is the woman who was our prom queen. She's still as lovely and vivacious as ever.
My "baby sister" and her husband joined the party. She's now a grandmother twice over. Some of our friends drove more than 100 miles to attend, then turned around and drove back home that night. I'm grateful for that.
Other attendees have known me for shorter periods of time, but have been equally important to me in my life. There is no adequate way to describe the joy I feel when I think about how they've affected my life. They've included us in their lives as they had children, then grand children. We marvel at the wonderful job they've done raising their kids to be upstanding young adults and parents. We're grateful to have been included along the way.
The world has changed since I was born. I was just about 4 months old when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and the victory over Japan is celebrated on my birthday - VJ Day is August 14th. Now, three generations later, Japan is one of our best friends and greatest trading partner. Who knew?
Today the world is similar, too. Today we face yet another challenge to our very existence as we battle an enemy who doesn't seem to worry about dying - or having his family die - as long as they can drive our way of life to extinction. This enemy, though, is more amorphous than were our enemies during World War II. Fighting this enemy is a little like trying to hold onto a handful of jello - you just can't get a grip on it. I'm confident, though, that our leaders will find the solution.
I'm amazed at the changes that have taken place since I was born. For example, the city in which I live, Costa Mesa, didn't exist at that time. It was the location of the Santa Ana Army Air Base, a training site for World War II flyers. Many of those young men who trained here and survived the war returned to this idyllic location to make their lives. Some became civic leaders and launched Costa Mesa as a city in the early 1950s and shepherded it through the early years.
Today this city, with a population nearing 115,000 people, is a vibrant hub of commerce and culture for Orange County. It's not without it's problems, as those of you who read this blog with any frequency know, but is still a wonderful community.
The technology that has developed since I was born has changed the world several times. Television, video recorders, digital cameras, cell phones, personal computers and on and on and on.... Advances in agriculture now allow us to feed most of the world's population when permitted to do so by their governments. On the flip side, "advancements" in armaments now make it possible for us to eradicate all life on this planet if we choose to do so.
Through all these changes, over all these years, nothing is more valuable to me than my friends and family. So, a big Happy Birthday to me. I'm grateful for the gift of friendship that I receive every day.
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