Birthdays

I just spent some time together with my daughter Merrie and her husband. She let me know last week that she was having surgery for an abdominal tumor that they assured her was benign. She told me not to worry and to stay home, and although I wasn't worried I knew I had to be there. I was grateful to be with them even though the surgery really was simple and she is even allowed to drive already. I really needed some of our conversation about being a parent. It is so hard to know sometimes if our children truly understand how much we love them. I hope she gets it now if she didn't before. I know I have never told her as clearly as I did this week how much I love her. Today is her birthday and I have spent part of today reliving in my mind some of the events of her birth all those years ago. Marsha and I were so young and filled with idealism. Marsha wanted natural childbirth and fought for so many hours not to take any medication. We did not go through any preparation for natural childbirth if they did such things back then. I struggled all night worried about her and you were not allowed in the see your wife back then. I know my struggles were nothing compared with what Marsha was going through but it seemed unbearable for me, partly because I knew she was in pain all that time. The joy was the gift of Merrie. Happy Birthday to her today, one of my great treasures in life.