Robin had a great time helping me make this card. I cut out the letters; he applied the paste and, with some prodding (“Now we need a D, can you find a D?”) glued them down in the right order. He also provided some of the interior artwork.
Davy didn’t help a bit, but we don’t hold it against him.
I'm a writer and mom living in Oakland. This is my personal blog; I write about parenting, cooking, local issues, books, and anything else that's rattling around inside my head.
I am the author of The Millennial Sword, an urban fantasy novel set in San Francisco, and two read-aloud picture books for kids, The Big Booger Bubble and Gail Murphy and the Piskies.
December 7th, 2010 at 2:17 pm
December 7–anniversary of Pearl Harbor, also the day of my Dad’s death, in 1969, two days before his 52nd birthday, 41st anniversary this year. Ergo: somber. So it’s a definite lift, this entry, a balance. Daughter and grandson doing the cut and paste dance, celebrating a son-in-law’s birthday. Definite lift–I could feel it. Happy Birthday Sam! And many more. Love to all of you, Pops
December 7th, 2010 at 3:02 pm
I had forgotten that was the day my grandfather died. I remember about Pearl Harbor mostly because Sam and I have a WWII theme going on, birthday-wise — me being born on D-Day.
I do wish I had gotten to know your father. Robin and Davy are extremely lucky to have so many grandparents and great-grandparents in their lives.
December 8th, 2010 at 5:02 am
A day with many meanings all about our shared humanity. Our births, our deaths, our generations. Tomorrow is my dad’s birthday as well. Also Sean’s and mine. So close to the day of death there are 3 generations of birth celebrations and Sam’s and Mary’s are within the same week. All the inter-relationships and our daily lives woven in and around the meanings of days. Happy Birthday, Sam.
December 8th, 2010 at 5:08 am
Also, I love the card. It makes me think of all the pieces of paper we found in my mother’s things as we sorted through stuff after her death this past Labor Day. Letters from children when they could barely write to beautiful letters celebrating relationships from her adult children. Love letters sent by my dad to my mom when he was a medic in the south pacific during WWII. Letters from Grandpa Punch (my dad’s dad) sent to us when we lived in the still territory of Hawaii (Grandpa Punch died during the year that we lived there). Letters, little notes, pictures over more than a century. Life and death and joy and sorrow – life and life. Reminds me to enjoy each day and be grateful to one another for our relationships, especially family. Even with all the craziness and all the “issues” family is still the best. Again, Happy Birthday, Sam. We are all glad for your life and to have your for kin.
December 8th, 2010 at 10:30 am
Oh how wonderful! I assume somebody is saving the letters? I would love to get to look at them someday.