Saturday, April 14, 2012

Wait, It's April 13th Somewhere! (Happy birthday, Dad!)

My father would have been 83 today (well, yesterday)--April 13th.  Although he didn't care about his birthday per se, he liked the thought that he was getting older and doing it well.  Until he stopped doing well.  Here are a couple of pics of him young and full of promise that was never quite realized in the way the world measures promise.  Mostly in these I like his expressions.  Below he looks so warm and benevolent.  Below that he is bursting with happiness.  I'd rarely seen him like that.

The last birthday I celebrated with him was his 80th.  We were in a Navajo-run hotel just outside of the Grand Canyon and I had carted a cake up from the Phoenix Whole Foods.  I wish I'd known then that would be the last one I'd share with him.
Was this on his mission?  I can't be sure.  Something terribly quirky about this.

My dad, circa 1957, on his mission to Canada.  

1 comment:

  1. beautiful birthday tribute: "promise that was never quite realized in the way the world measures promise." so glad that the world's measurements are so wrong.

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