Life is good!

Julia shares cake with her mom

Oh yes, life is so  so-o-o-o very good.  Today I woke up extraordinarily happy to be able to have another cake day!  It has always amazed me that on our birthdays we say we're another year older, rather than just a day more mature than we were the day before.  The anniversaries of our births do provide opportunities to inventory where we've been, are, and hope to go, as well as count our wrinkles, grey hairs, and ascending numbers on our optics prescriptions. We must all remember, as we throw away another AARP solicitation, that aging truly is better than than the alternative.

I took my probability of aging gracefully as a birthright until thirteen years ago, when I became dedicated to doing more than giving my Krabbe's kid something better than "sympathetic and symptomatic" treatment for her terminal illness.  Julia is pictured to the left having the one and only taste of birthday cake she was able to swallow on her own accord, on my birthday, August 19th, 1998.  We were at the beginning of our many month stay in Duke Medical Center for Julia's transplant, which occurred the day after this picture was taken.  The fighting spirit of that little kid with the bright red dress inspired me more than I will ever be able say.  She remains a primary source of motivation.  She never talked or walked, or ran, but did more than many folks do who have all of those abilities. Julia taught me:  If we can, we must.


Living up to my motto, I started the day off with a 3.3 mile run. and I plan on finishing the evening with at least 3.3 pieces of cake. Happy birthday to me, and a good life to all of us.  :) 

Até amanhã... 
8/19/11 - 3.3 miles | 37 mins | 5.2 mph | 353 kcal