Today, October 4, is my husband’s birthday. I searched through my post archives and found that I have only written one post specifically about his birthday. That was four years ago on a milestone birthday, and the post turned very philosophical.
This year is not a milestone birthday. Those come only every ten (or maybe five) years. This is a celebratory birthday—our daughter and granddaughter are visiting, and we will share cake and ice cream and a few presents with them. I hope that even the baby will get a bite of cake, but that is up to her mother, not me.
Both my daughter and I have meetings today, so we will have to squeeze dinner and cake around the meetings, but any excuse to celebrate these days is nice. It feels like it has been a long year since my husband’s last birthday. And, like any year, it has had its share of ups and downs.
It’s best to focus on the positives. Here are a few of our happy developments during the last year:
— My husband’s back surgery in August 2022 was successful in eliminating his back pain. For the past year, he has been able to exercise again, which he has always enjoyed. He currently takes a Parkinson’s Rock Steady Boxing class twice a week, plus an Active Older Adult class at the YMCA three times a week. And when he can’t get to these classes, he tries to get to our subdivision’s fitness center to use the treadmill and weights, or we walk in a local park.
— Our first grandchild arrived in February of this year! Our daughter has brought her to visit us twice, for which we are grateful.
— My husband and I have taken a couple of short trips together in the last year — to Lied Lodge in Nebraska City, and to Northwestern Arkansas. It’s hard to travel now, but it’s good to have a change of scenery and a change of pace.
We’ve come a long way together in the past (almost) 46 years. Here are a few posts about my husband in our early days together.
- THE PAPER CHASE and Other Chases
- Another Treasure: Brought a Girl Home to Mother
- My Lucky Four-Leaf Clover
- After Forty Years, I Wonder—Did He Ever Propose or Not?
- Signs of Adulthood: Toaster Ovens and Door Knockers
- First Birthdays With my Husband
- The Lemon Juice Incident
I enjoyed reminiscing as I re-read these. I hope you enjoy them, too.
Happy Birthday to my husband! May we have many more together.
