Yesterday was my ex-husband, David Hampton’s, birthday. There are some things I never forget, and his birthday is one of them. Our paths seldom cross anymore – he and his wife live in Tidewater Virginia, and I am happily embedded in rural Georgia. But that doesn’t keep memories from flooding back at times, or my thoughts from going back in time to the years that we were together.
One birthday I remember in particular, and the one that kept creeping up on me yesterday and tapping me on the shoulder, was his 40th birthday.
We were in Fieldale, Virginia, for this milestone birthday. I wanted the world of Fieldale to know that David was turning 40, and some of my church friends were all too willing to help spread the word. I don’t remember who made the sign – it had to be either Darlene or Harriett - but on the morning of David’s birthday, a huge sign graced the front yard which read, “Lordy, Lordy, David’s 40!” Our car was also stuffed to capacity with black balloons. He received more birthday greetings in the mail than Santa receives letters from children, as everyone in town was alerted to his birthday. It was a fun time of celebration, that’s for sure!
My sons were 14 and 11 at the time, just the ages to really get a kick out of seeing their dad celebrate his special day. They liked watching his embarrassment about being in the spotlight, as well as his enjoyment about being in the spotlight. It was quite a day!
Yesterday, as memories of the day floated across the kitchen counter while I worked with the bounty from my garden, another thought hit me squarely in the head. My son, Wade, my little boy, is now 40 himself! And talking to Brian on the phone yesterday, he reminded me that he is “pushing 40.” Can it be possible? How can my sons be the age of their dad in this special memory? And, how old am I now, anyhow??? When David turned 40, I was the age that Brian is now- three years younger. Where has the time gone?
They say that you are only as old as you feel. I certainly don’t feel old, but the facts tell me that I’m progressing in that direction. And, so are my sons. My consolation in all of this is that memories are sweet, and no matter what my age may be, I can always escape into my memory bank to be whatever age I want.
I also repeat one of my mantras – “The secret of a long life is to continue getting older.” This is something I plan to do with each day I live.
Happy Birthday, David!
Showing posts with label birthdays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label birthdays. Show all posts
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Another Big 6-0
Yesterday was truly an extraordinary day in this little girl’s life.
The day began in an ordinary way, but soon began to show itself as a day that would be different from the run-of-the-mill variety. Routine tasks took on a new look as I made my way through the day, and the way the day ended was truly extraordinary.
To begin the day was jelly making. I had two quarts of wild plum juice in the refrigerator ready for cooking and a gallon of the sweet fruit needing to be cooked for the juice to be filtered out of the pulp. In a couple of hours, the job was completed – I had twenty jars of clear, sweet jelly in jars, and I was listening for the familiar pop of the lids to tell me that everything was sealed and ready to share with friends and family. One of the things that made this task extraordinary was the Rocket Man Kitty. Little Rocky played at my feet the entire time, never leaving the rug in front of the stove until the jelly was made, the pots were cleaned, and the counters were wiped off. It seemed as if he had taken over Big Tom Cat’s job of supervising the jelly making process, and I felt Mama’s presence with me in the body of my little cat making sure I made jelly the way she taught me.
After jelly making, I went out to the garden to weed. I was amazed at the growth of the squash, beans, tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers. The rain the night before was like a magic potion to my garden. It looked as if everything had doubled in size since Friday, including the weeds! I marveled at the number of squash, cucumbers and tomatoes now almost at picking size, and thoughts of a road-side vegetable stand out in front of the house began to form in my brain. We are going to have more than we can possibly eat ourselves.
At lunchtime, I spent some quality time on the deck eating my lunch and doing some serious cloud gazing. The air was clear from the rain, the sky was the bluest blue, and the clouds were the white puffy ones that drift across the sky forming the most wonderful shapes. For a little while I was lost in my own thoughts as I let my mind drift along with the clouds to the music of the breeze blowing through the pine trees.
If nothing else had happened in this day I would have been satisfied, but the best was yet to be. Mid-afternoon came, and it was time to begin dressing to go to our friend Herb’s 60th birthday party. As we drove down I-20 to the party, Phil told me to look behind us. There it was – a huge, bright rainbow arching above and across the interstate. We were driving west, away from the afternoon shower, but the view behind us was spectacular. Little did I know then that the rainbow was going to play a role in the birthday party we were going to.
Herb’s party – what can I say? What a fun evening, meeting the most interesting people I’ve met in a long time, and having a small part in celebrating our friend’s birthday. I felt honored to be among those invited, and soaked in everything that was going on around me. Conversations were lively, the food was delicious, and the music ---- WOW!! Herb’s wife, Wanda, sang “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” to Herb in celebration of his birthday and their love, bringing tears to my eyes and a catch in my heart. I even got Phil to dance one dance with me as Herb sang. I was so amazed that Phil would dance that I can’t remember the song that Herb sang. There are many of us born in 1948 who are celebrating our 60th birthdays this year, but I think this party ranks at the top as the best yet!
Extraordinary day? Definitely!
The day began in an ordinary way, but soon began to show itself as a day that would be different from the run-of-the-mill variety. Routine tasks took on a new look as I made my way through the day, and the way the day ended was truly extraordinary.
To begin the day was jelly making. I had two quarts of wild plum juice in the refrigerator ready for cooking and a gallon of the sweet fruit needing to be cooked for the juice to be filtered out of the pulp. In a couple of hours, the job was completed – I had twenty jars of clear, sweet jelly in jars, and I was listening for the familiar pop of the lids to tell me that everything was sealed and ready to share with friends and family. One of the things that made this task extraordinary was the Rocket Man Kitty. Little Rocky played at my feet the entire time, never leaving the rug in front of the stove until the jelly was made, the pots were cleaned, and the counters were wiped off. It seemed as if he had taken over Big Tom Cat’s job of supervising the jelly making process, and I felt Mama’s presence with me in the body of my little cat making sure I made jelly the way she taught me.
After jelly making, I went out to the garden to weed. I was amazed at the growth of the squash, beans, tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers. The rain the night before was like a magic potion to my garden. It looked as if everything had doubled in size since Friday, including the weeds! I marveled at the number of squash, cucumbers and tomatoes now almost at picking size, and thoughts of a road-side vegetable stand out in front of the house began to form in my brain. We are going to have more than we can possibly eat ourselves.
At lunchtime, I spent some quality time on the deck eating my lunch and doing some serious cloud gazing. The air was clear from the rain, the sky was the bluest blue, and the clouds were the white puffy ones that drift across the sky forming the most wonderful shapes. For a little while I was lost in my own thoughts as I let my mind drift along with the clouds to the music of the breeze blowing through the pine trees.
If nothing else had happened in this day I would have been satisfied, but the best was yet to be. Mid-afternoon came, and it was time to begin dressing to go to our friend Herb’s 60th birthday party. As we drove down I-20 to the party, Phil told me to look behind us. There it was – a huge, bright rainbow arching above and across the interstate. We were driving west, away from the afternoon shower, but the view behind us was spectacular. Little did I know then that the rainbow was going to play a role in the birthday party we were going to.
Herb’s party – what can I say? What a fun evening, meeting the most interesting people I’ve met in a long time, and having a small part in celebrating our friend’s birthday. I felt honored to be among those invited, and soaked in everything that was going on around me. Conversations were lively, the food was delicious, and the music ---- WOW!! Herb’s wife, Wanda, sang “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” to Herb in celebration of his birthday and their love, bringing tears to my eyes and a catch in my heart. I even got Phil to dance one dance with me as Herb sang. I was so amazed that Phil would dance that I can’t remember the song that Herb sang. There are many of us born in 1948 who are celebrating our 60th birthdays this year, but I think this party ranks at the top as the best yet!
Extraordinary day? Definitely!
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