Friday, September 1, 2017

years gone by

 Well here it is September. There are a lot of birthdays in my family during this month. Mom, Dad, both brothers and various in-laws and outlaws. There were so many my sister waited until October ! She didn't want to get lost in the crowd I guess. I am an early riser and so appeared in July. I prefer the warm weather and being on Vacation, July is perfect for both. So I went to my genealogy program to confirm birthdays. Like most men I don't remember dates well, at least dates concerning birthdays, anniversaries and such. In my family tree program complete dates are listed whenever I could find them, that means the year. As I looked up those dates it was the years that caught my attention. First it was brother Dan. He was born September 18, 1949. That was only four years after the war. " The war " in my world always being WW2. Mom was born on the 16th, in 1929. The next month the stock market crashed. Dad was born in September of 1924, the year Boston opened its' airport. My eldest brother Harold arrived in 1947 the same year the Air Force was created as a stand alone component of the armed forces. All of those events are real history to me as they are obviously before my time. I came along in '53, the same month Julius and Ethel Rosenberg were executed at Sing-Sing. I was told that is what happens to spies and traitors.
 The years did jump off the screen this morning. I see the year 1949 and that sure seems like a long time ago. Yes, I know I was born in '53, but '53 ain't 49 ! Hey 1949 was in the first half of the last century. My Dad was born in 1924 and passed in 1990. As much as I miss him, it does seem reasonable. I mean after someone is deceased their age doesn't matter anymore. They ain't getting any older. Isn't that the way we think of that ? I lost my eldest brother in 2014 and I feel like he never got to be old, even though he was born in 1947. Just what is it about dates ? Sometimes they don't make much sense. I don't think of myself as " old " but 1953 was a while ago, just ask any teenager. My brother however, he's old. Fact is, he has always been older ! Maybe that is the simple explanation for all this confusion. Those that are older than ourselves will always be old ! That does seem like an accurate statement. Well, unless we decide to just go on " feelings " something many are apt to do these days. Hey some have decided they aren't even the gender they were born as, but that's none of my business. If they were born before 1953 they are older than me, no matter what they decide. That is how it works !
 September is the beginning of fall, it arrives on the 22nd this year. We think of it as the beginning of the end. The summer is over and the cold weather is poised to take over. I'm glad I wasn't born in September. July is much better. Warm weather, lazy days and six months till Christmas. Right in the middle of the year, almost. Same with the year 1953, just about half way through the century. Had I been born before '53 I'd be old right now ! I am the youngest you know ? My sister was born in 1951 but we won't talk about that. Strange how that works isn't it ? Just how old does a lady have to be before it doesn't matter anymore ? I'll reserve my answer for another day and time. Smartest thing I can do right now is wait for another date entirely, probably another year ! The years certainly do go fast. Birthdays mark the individual passage of time. Do you like being reminded ? I do enjoy receiving a card as an acknowledgement that I am still here. Mentioning the year of my arrival however, is not necessary.  

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