Happy Congratubirthday

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I woke up this morning to my 60th birthday and the news that my fourth grandchild was born at 12:30 a.m. Yep, this is going to be a good day.

I don’t want to be dark, because I’m not in a dark mood, but I need to get this out of the way. Six years ago I honestly didn’t know if I would be here to see this day. Of course none of us knows if we will see our next birthday, but when you are diagnosed with an incurable cancer, and the existing statistics suggest a short survival time, you have a right to question your longevity. I once joked that my new mattress had a longer warranty than I did.

Of course, the miracles of modern science brings me here today healthy and without any measurable signs of cancer in my blood. That means I’m here to welcome another grandchild to the family, the third since my diagnosis. I also attended three of my children’s weddings in the last year. As I discussed in my last column, a great deal of life has happened in the last 5-6 years, and I’m savoring it all.

Birthdays were never a big deal for me, but I will admit today is pretty special. As I begin my seventh decade and my sweet granddaughter begins her first, I’m confident I will be here to love her, her siblings and cousins, for the foreseeable future. That is a great birthday present indeed.

Today is a very good day. Happy Congratubirthday to me.

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