August 12, 1971

37 years ago on August 12th a 9-1/2 pound baby boy came into this world.  These were the days before ultrasounds, etc so when babies were born it was always a surprise.  At the time..I really wanted another girl.  I didn't really have anything against little boys, after all I'd had a little brother.  But I knew if I had a boy, I wanted him to be a "full of life, on the go, energetic, non stop except when sleeping" little boy.  And quite frankly, I didn't feel I was up to that.  However, my husband jokingly said all along that if it was a girl, I'd have to come home from the hospital in a cab...he wanted a boy! 

 I remember when I was in the delivery room , my doctor asked me what we were hoping for.  I told him,  I wanted a girl but that my husband said if it was a girl, I'd have to take a cab home.  As the baby was delivered, he said to one of the nurses.."you'd better go tell that dad to keep the car running because he has a son."   Not for one second after that moment, have I ever been sorry that on that day, at 9:10am I gave birth to a bouncing baby boy. He turned out to be the non stop, energetic little boy I was afraid to have, he kept us hopping...but he grew up, calmed down and has been the light of my life for 37 years.

 Actually, both my daughter, Julie and my son, Jim have been the best kids a mom could ever have.  They both did well in school, were never in any trouble and they have both been good to me.  Jim was the only grandson my folks ever had and they both adored him, too.  My dad even signed over his old pickup truck to Jimmy on his 16th birthday...his first set of wheels. He had a job washing dishes at Denney's and needed the truck to get back & forth to school and work. He later got a dishwashing job at a University just a few blocks from my house. 

 Everyday when I came home from work, there'd be bread crumbs along with peanut butter & jam smudges on my kitchen counter...he'd fixed an after school, before work snack.  Jim's always been a hard worker, even as a kid, before age 16...he was mowing lawns and doing whatever he could to make money.  He went into the Air Force in October of 1989, 8 weeks after his 18th birthday. 

 It was the first time he'd ever been away from home like that.  I remember when he went to San Antonio for basic training, when they finally let him call me, he called very late one night and he was so home sick.  He cried & I cried that night on the phone....I felt so sorry for him.  But he made it.   And he did good. I remember the first letter I got telling me of him being chosen Airman of the Month,  I was so proud. 

 When he got out of the Air Force, he got a job within  3 weeks at a large printing company here in town.  He's worked as a press operator all these years, except for about a year after he hurt his hand in the machinery.  After a couple surgeries to repair his hand he held a job in the radiology file room at the hospital where he was born (also where I was born & worked for over 25 years). He has been back to work, printing now for almost 4 years. He's now also going to school at our local community college in the evenings. So he has a full schedule.

His one big dream is to fly, he took some flying lessons for awhile but they are very expensive.  I hope someday he can complete the lessons and get his pilot's license.

 I look at this son of mine and I think of all the years that have gone by, all the circumstances we survived, how he's changed from a precious chunky baby, into a 6'2" man.....a man who has a gentle heart, a man who loves the Lord, a man who would love to find a sweet woman, and settle down  and have a family.  And I thank God, that I've had the privilege of being his mother all these years.  Happy birthday my son, I love you !

And I don't want to forget my son-in-law and Bob's daughter, Hope down in Pasadena.....both of them are also having a birthday today, August 12th.  Two more very special people in my life.  Happy Birthday !

 

Tags: birthday, son, 1971