They may have broken her mold, but there are other molds out there. A friend's 102 year old grandfather married his 85 year old sweetheart this year. Damn cradle robber!

 

Birthdays never bothered me much. I have #60 coming in 13 months, so we'll see about that one. What has bothered me more was losing my Dad 3 months ago at age 85, and watching my Mom at age 80 forgetting who gave her what for Mothers Day an hour later. (that's not the half of it). I hope I keep my wits about me till the end. I don't want to be a burden to anybody.

 

We've been where you are Dean, with Rick's Mom. It's not an easy road to travel on.

It is hard to see our parents age and fail and ultimately to lose them.

As far as aging, my Mom who is now 86, wonders how five of her six children are over the age of 50! It doesn't seem possible to me, but it is.

 

Funny. Never heard it put that way before.

 

As for me: I just set a new personal record for the most consecutive days of being alive (20,994). I hope to break that record again tomorrow.

After the latest natural diasters around the world in which tens of thousands of people have died, it reminds me to be thankful for every day that I am on the right side of the ground.

At last years "Gathering in NJ" I got into a conversation with Jukengene. I had mentioned that I was sitting on a United Airlines 767 out of Dulles Airport in Washington DC on the morning of 9-11-01. The flight never got off the ground because of mechanical problems with the rudder. I will never know if I was on the fifth plane that day. Gene responded that as a Vietnam veteran helicopter pilot that he viewed every day since 1966 as a bonus.

Age is just a number in so many ways. What really matters is that you are here (on the right side of the ground) and alive and hopefully enjoying life.

This past weekend my family celebrated my Mother's 90th birthday. She is ninety going on about sixty-five. I only hope that I have inherited her genes and am that full of life when I am her age.

 

When I turned 50 a few weeks ago, my mother asked me if I felt much older. I said it was no big deal, I am a day older than I was yesterday. She said, well it may not make you feel old, but it sure as hell makes me feel old.

 

She makes a valid point

 

So far, none has been that traumatic for me. I think it has to do with being more or less content with how life is going. In the not-too-distant future, however, I will be turning the big 6-0 and the +1 the big 5-0 - in the same year (he's at the end, I'm at the beginning). Trying to think of an appropriate "celebration" somewhere in the middle. Any ideas? And yeah, I know, we ain't been to Vegas yet. EDIT - Speaking of, I've changed the title from the Unofficial Official Wedding in Vegas Thread, to the Unofficial Commitment Wherever Thread.

 

Patty, i paid for it the next several days. I've never done that again, nor will i ever.

 

[QUOTE=Matt_in_VA,May 14 2008, 11:40 PM]At last years "Gathering in NJ" I got into a conversation with Jukengene.