DECEMBER BIRTHDAYS AND CHRISTMAS....
By Olivene Godfrey
I recently had a birthday that evoked mixed emotions within me. I am grateful that I have lived this long and am not an invalid,
but as the old song goes, "...the days grow shorter as we reach September,,,," And it worries me some days that I am not likely to live to be 100, like my Aunt Helen, because of serious health problems.
My sister, Joan, who lives at West Palm Beach sent me a card on my December 10th birthday that read," I don't care what anyone says, we're too young to be this old." The older people I have talked to agree those words are true for them, too. If we are of sound mind, we are forever young in our minds regardless of how our bodies betray us. Some days I wake up feeling chipper in my mind and I plan a lot of things to do that day and I am frustrated when my energy runs out before I have completed my activities.
Thinking about my birthday reminded me of my 13th birthday when my mother agreed to have a boy=girl night time party for me. I thought she was in a very good mood so I asked if we could play the game, Spin the bottle", and she agreed. Before I became too excited, she explained that her version of the game was that the boy and girl could walk around the outside of our house. Even within restrictions, the party was a success. The next day when my girl friends and I were discussing the party, we were shocked by the confession of a girl who said she let a boy kiss her when they walked around the house. (She, like myself, was a preacher's daughter and you know what THEY say about them!) We were awestruck when she described The Kiss and Keep in mind this was a time of innocence, at least for the girls in my east Tennessee community. If a boy and girl held hands at a movie, it was exciting for both of them.
We have at least six December birthdays in our family and my son, Barry, celebrated his birthday December 14th. When he sat down at his computer that morning, he was thrilled by the news of Saddam's capture. He says he will always remember that historic date that fell on his birthday.
Christmas is almost here and I have finished shopping for gifts and have the gifts all wrapped and the cards sent. And on Sunday afternoon of Barry's birthday we put up the tree and decorated it. This is our second Christmas holidays without my late husband, Ralph. We didn't put up a tree last year as he had died August 20, 2002, and it was too soon for us to be in a festive mood of any kind. This year we are still sad but we are making an effort to have a good Christmas as Ralph would want us to. We will attend a dinner and exchange gifts with some of our family members at my sister, Jeanette's house in northwest Georgia on Christmas day.
May the hope of the first Christmas be with all of you this holiday season.
By Olivene Godfrey
I recently had a birthday that evoked mixed emotions within me. I am grateful that I have lived this long and am not an invalid,
but as the old song goes, "...the days grow shorter as we reach September,,,," And it worries me some days that I am not likely to live to be 100, like my Aunt Helen, because of serious health problems.
My sister, Joan, who lives at West Palm Beach sent me a card on my December 10th birthday that read," I don't care what anyone says, we're too young to be this old." The older people I have talked to agree those words are true for them, too. If we are of sound mind, we are forever young in our minds regardless of how our bodies betray us. Some days I wake up feeling chipper in my mind and I plan a lot of things to do that day and I am frustrated when my energy runs out before I have completed my activities.
Thinking about my birthday reminded me of my 13th birthday when my mother agreed to have a boy=girl night time party for me. I thought she was in a very good mood so I asked if we could play the game, Spin the bottle", and she agreed. Before I became too excited, she explained that her version of the game was that the boy and girl could walk around the outside of our house. Even within restrictions, the party was a success. The next day when my girl friends and I were discussing the party, we were shocked by the confession of a girl who said she let a boy kiss her when they walked around the house. (She, like myself, was a preacher's daughter and you know what THEY say about them!) We were awestruck when she described The Kiss and Keep in mind this was a time of innocence, at least for the girls in my east Tennessee community. If a boy and girl held hands at a movie, it was exciting for both of them.
We have at least six December birthdays in our family and my son, Barry, celebrated his birthday December 14th. When he sat down at his computer that morning, he was thrilled by the news of Saddam's capture. He says he will always remember that historic date that fell on his birthday.
Christmas is almost here and I have finished shopping for gifts and have the gifts all wrapped and the cards sent. And on Sunday afternoon of Barry's birthday we put up the tree and decorated it. This is our second Christmas holidays without my late husband, Ralph. We didn't put up a tree last year as he had died August 20, 2002, and it was too soon for us to be in a festive mood of any kind. This year we are still sad but we are making an effort to have a good Christmas as Ralph would want us to. We will attend a dinner and exchange gifts with some of our family members at my sister, Jeanette's house in northwest Georgia on Christmas day.
May the hope of the first Christmas be with all of you this holiday season.
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