happy birthday mom and dad (lyn)

My mother was only 18 when she met my dad, one hot July 4th in 1948 (at Onset Beach).  At 25, and recently returned from the War, my dad was older and more worldly.  He grew up in Brockton; my mom grew up in Boston.  They began dating and by April 1949, they were married. 

October 1949

Over the next seven years, my parents built a house; my dad joined his father’s recycling business (known more familiarly as the junk business back then), and had three daughters.  Together, they created a beautiful life.

August 1960, my sisters and me in matching skorts

Yesterday, my mom turned 83, and today, my dad is 89.  Theirs has been an enviable marriage.  They have been lucky; until now, it’s been pretty easy.  No major financial catastrophes, no problem children (if you don’t count the eruptions of anger I provoked in my father for insisting on long bangs), a lifetime of good friends, six great grand kids, and no major health problems.  They live in a place they love, and if you ask either of them, “What would you do differently, if you could re-live your life, “ I doubt either would be able to think of a single thing.

In the past three years, my dad’s health has declined.  His mobility has diminished, and he’s become more and more dependent on my mom.  He’s a proud man, so this has been  particularly difficult for him.  But my mom has surprised everyone with her continued good humor and caregiver skills.  For a woman who worries about weather ten days out, and what the traffic is coming over the Bridge (even when she's not planning to cross it), she is remarkably calm with my dad.  They have both lived blessed lives.

Happy birthday mom and dad; I love you.

august 2012