Second Anniversary of Being on Earth

 Happy birthday Jack Barrett it’s your number two

Oh, how I wish I could celebrate it with you

I am here and you are far away there

But we can celebrate, and our spirits can share

Your marvelous journey in life has just begun

My journeys are fleeting as I ride into the setting sun

Until that moment I feel your soft face against mine

Your eyes sparkle and your laughter is divine

Feeling your heart racing against my chest

Is precious and I know that you are the best

Granddads and grandsons have a special bond

I remember my grand paw and me fishing on a pond

Holding you close I know I hold the future coming fast

Hugging me you have touched the things that are past

My dear child you will experience such a time

When you hold the future and remember this rhyme

You will have birthdays with family and friends

Time reminds us that birthdays finally reach the end

Happy birthday and the precious moments we share

Time and distance our spirits help us be together there

Kindred spirits attract forming eternal moments

That’s what creates Divine Appointments

Your second birthday makes me smile

Thinking how your terrible two’s will last a while

An Annual Event

Well, it happened last week.  It is an annual event, and I knew that unless the Lord came back or He carried me home, that I would become 72.  That’s right.  I turned 72 on December 13.  I outlived my mom by 17 years.  She died at 55.

Speaking of mom, annually she asked if I wanted a birthday present or a Christmas present.  She could not afford both.  It puzzled me for a long time how she could afford birthday, and Christmas presents for by sister and two brothers, but not me.

I made me wonder how she afforded to have me in the first place.  I never thought to ask if she got a Christmas present twelve days after my birth.  I must have been her Christmas present in December 1952.

You know there have been plenty of changes in the world since 1952.  “In 1952 despite the war in Korea Americans considered themselves to be prospering with average worker earning $3,400 per year, a college teacher could expect to earn $5,100 per year. Three out of 5 families owned a car, 2 out of 3 families now had a telephone, and 1 in 3 homes had a television. The average woman in America would be married by 20 years of age looking forward to raising a family but few continued with a career after children were born. Fast Food restaurants were growing in popularity, but the scourge of Polio hit many thousands of families (@50,000). Many more cars in America were now fitted with automatic gearboxes and gas cost 25 cents per gallon. The world's first passenger jet The Comet is produced in UK signaling the start of faster and cheaper air travel in later years.”

In 1952, Dwight D. Eisenhower (Republican) defeated Adlai Stevenson (Democratic) for President of the United States. The first roll on deodorant is introduced under the brand name Ban-Roll-On.  The first Holiday Inn opens in Tennessee.  There is the world’s first successful use of a mechanical heart in the US. MAD Magazine publishes its first issue. The Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) fried chicken franchise opened. The "Today" Program debuts on NBC, the first of its kind hosted by Dave Garroway. The Big Bang Theory of the creation of the Universe first propounded.  Gary Cooper won Best Actor for High Noon.  Norman Vincent Peale publishes his most popular book, The Power of Positive Thinking, and it sells more than 20 million copies in 41 languages.  Mrs. Paul's introduces frozen fish sticks. TV first acknowledges pregnancy on I Love Lucy. Considering that TV will not portray married people sleeping it the same bed.  Sony, a brand-new Japanese company, introduces the first pocket-sized transistor radio.  There were 37,794 motor vehicle related deaths. While in the air, there were 5 accidents resulting in 140 fatalities.  Mr. Potato Head arrives!  Boy, I love French fries.  Kellogg introduced Sugar Frosted Flakes, 29 percent sugar. Unemployment was 3.1%.

Favorite songs in 1952 were Tex Ritter’s High Noon (Do Not Forsake Me), Nat King Cole’s Unforgettable, The Mills Brother’s Worn Glow, and one of my favorites, I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus by Jimmy Boyd.

This hit is most remembered for, a cute novelty given him by Mitch Miller at Columbia about a kid who can't understand why Mommy is cheating on Daddy with Santa! It seems innocuous now, but the Catholic Church actually managed to get this one banned in several major markets (including that old standby, Boston), claiming that the implication -- however mistaken -- was all wrong for a religious holiday. It took a special conference between the 13-year-old Boyd and the Council of Churches to clear the song in those markets, where it finally enjoyed success year after year.

I wonder what mama thought when I was born.  When I think about my birthday and all the change, I am reminded of Mary at Jesus’ birth and the ban execution Herod placed on baby boys in an effort to kill Jesus.

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. . . But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart (Luke 26-7, 19 NIV).

Hold You Me

 Today is another magnificent moment in your being

Your celebration of life occurring every first day of September

Forty-six years provide many moments to remember

Life’s experiences endow with moments worth re-seeing

 

The moment my eyes feasted upon you beginning life’s journey

Daddy’s little girl so beautiful gave an adventurous thrill

Suddenly the huge responsibility of fatherhood gave a chill

As moments of joy became instant unknowns and uncertainty for me

 

That which was ambiguous suddenly is nearing half-century shrewdness

Wisdom gained by daddy’s little girl desiring to experience life her way

Brought the monumental and heartbreaking as well as wonderful play

Wisdom by practice or the mistakes of others can be a tangled mess

 

As precious moments of our being, bring us together expressing love

Hold you me are words that remind of the importance of being a dad

Lifted little arms with open hands etched in mind and time make glad

Hold you me, three little words that express the love of God above

 

Through the years and the moments of life that have been full of pain

Opportunities come to express love and make the day breathtaking

Today is such a day for Daddy’s little girl to experience the amazing

Your calling is one that helps people learn to love and enjoy life again

 

Happy birthday and thanks for those three words that started my day

Hold you me are words that daddy's love to hear daughters say

Happy Birthday Momma Song

Picture of momma when she was around 16 years old. She always had her guitar. I posted a Poem on May 7, 2021 for my Momma's Birthday.  I trust that you enjoyed it and If you have not read please do.  I sent a copy of it to my brother that inherited mommas gifts most of playing musical instruments, by ear, and writing songs.  Most of our Sunday afternoons were spent sitting on the front porch and singing and playing the guitars.

below is a link to listen to my brother Glenn pick up an old guitar and sing the poem I wrote.  I love the way he arranged it to make this beautiful song for momma.

Momma I do miss your hugging and kissing.  

https://photos.app.goo.gl/F7qVJtbHAJoUyuqt6