HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHRISTINA

 It's difficult for me to believe how lucky we were, but 50 years ago today with the perfect baby girl.  It was somewhat strange because two years earlier, with the birth of her older sister, we were also blesses with the perfect baby girl.  How we could have ended up with two superlatives is beyond me.  Go figure.

Shortly after Christina was born, Kitty was wheeled into her hospital room by a nurse's aide, with me trailing behind,  As we waited for Christina to be cleaned up and gussied up and brought to us, the nurse's aide asked if there was anything we needed.  Of course there was.  "I'm hungry," Kitty said.  The young girl scurried off to find us something to eat and when she came back a few minutes later, with two bowls of red Jell-o and covered with a congealed white topping (there wasn't much available that time of day), she found Kitty and me waltzing around the hospital room to music that was only in our heads. Soon, they brought Christina in.  From that moment on, our family was complete.

I have lauded Christina's praises may time before, waxing enthusiastically about her kindness, her intelligence, her empathy, her common sense, her willingness to sacrifice for others, her delightful sense of humor, her ability to face any obstacle and overcome it, her generosity, her dedication, her absolute humanity, her appreciation of nature and of animal and of children, and -- yes -- her beauty.  We have been very lucky

From that very first day 50 years ago, she has given us a sense of wonder and joy that continued through Kitty's last and still continues for me.  Christina has often commented on how our support and encouragement has helped her so much through her life.  (Full disclosure, most of that was due to Kitty, whose talent was in finding the solution to any problem; me?  I just muddle through and try my best.)  What Christina has yet to understand that it was she who has helped us, it was she who has inspired us, and it was she, who, with her sister and our grandchildren, has given us meaning.

To show what a magnificent person our youngest daughter it, she has even (finally) forgiven me for sending Callandra Jan, her Cabbage Patch doll, on a solo trip down a store escalator some forty years ago.  You just have to love someone as gracious and (almost) non-judgmental as that.  And I do love her.

Happy birthday, my love.!