Another Year
Today is my daughter's birthday. As hard as it is to believe it has been a quarter of a century since that wonderful Saturday in York, PA when she was born. Like all such days much of it is firmly embedded in the mind. My wife waking me at around 8:00 am and saying that she thought this was it. Waiting for a while, calling the doctor, timing the cotractions, calling grandparents. Then about 11:00 am heading to the hospital.

Then, just a little after 6:00 pm, EST, our daughter was born. I waltzed around the delivery room while things were finished up. I sang quietly to her and just reveled in the moment. The miracle of birth.

But that is only the beginning of the miracles. Year after year through two and a half decades the miracles continue. What an amazing thing is life. What an amazing promise is a baby. What an amazing journey is parenthood.

Perhaps we have been superbly lucky or blessed, but it has been one joyous ride. It is so still today. She is an only child which means she can get our full attention. She has the amazing ability to twist this old man around that little finger. She has grown into a self-assured and continually growing woman.

Woman. Hmmm. It is hard for a dad to think of his "little girl" that way. Even though we relate on adult levels, she is still my daughter.

Almost 25 years ago, a few months after she was born, there was an editorial cartoon that appeared in our local paper. For 25 years it has hung on our refrigerator door. It has been surrounded by the drawings and papers of all kinds of classes. It has become quite yellowed with age. One of these days I have to scan it into the computer so I don't come out one morning and find it in crinkles all over the floor.

The top panel: Dad is standing looking into the baby carriage. In his hands are bunches and bunches of bills. He is speaking to the unseen child in the carriage:

Look at these bills, young lady-- studies show it costs $134,000 to raise a child nowadays... $36,000 for food! $12,000 for clothing! $6,000 for medical! Etc. Etc. Etc!!! What do you have to say for yourself?

The middle panel: A baby with a cute curleycue pokes out of the carriage and plants a kiss on Dad's nose.

Smooch!

The bottom panel: Dad walks away with a smile on his face, hearts coming out of his head, the bills are being tossed as the little girl smiles at us. Dad says:

I guess sometimes you just have to put these things into perspective....

Yes, how very, very true.

Priceless!