HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KITTY!

It's been over a half a century since I first saw her.  She was taking a walk while drinking a cup of coffee, or perhaps tea.  She was -- and is -- the most beautiful girl I had ever seen.  She had moved into the neighborhood one street over a few months before, but it would be another few months before we would actually meet.  But when we did meet...oh wow!

Her eyes.  They were greenish, or grayish, or light bluish, depending on the light, with a few small specks of gold sprinkled in.  They were eyes I could get lost in.  I still do.  She had a smile that could melt your heart.  Her laughter made the world seem right.  She was beautiful.

And smart.

And talented.

And funny.

And kind.

And self-possessed.

Her concern and compassion for people went beyond that of a typical teenager outraged by the inequities he or she saw around them.  Like many in the Sixties, she believed in justice and would soon put that belief into action.

She liked music and movies and parties.

People were drawn to her.  Who could blame them?

For some reason I still can't figure out, she actually liked me.  We started dating shortly after I first met her

She is without a doubt the very best thing that ever happened to me.

We will have been married forty-eight years later this month.  Every year is better than the one before.

Two kids.  Five grandchildren.  A few heartbreaks and tears.  Much laughter and joy.  Some health problems, but nothing that could disturb our bond.  I am the luckiest man on earth because of her.

I look back on the person I was before I met her and I am not proud.  She has made me a much better person.  I hope that I have been able to her something back beyond my love, admiration, respect, and awe.

There are still challenges ahead of us but I will meet them head on because that's what she taught me to do.  When I hold her in my arms I realize that there is nothing I can't do.  She makes me invincible.

She is my wife, my lover, my best friend, my accomplice, my hero, and my guiding light.

Happy birthday, my dearest one.  I love you.