We only experience any birthday once in a lifetime, but some obviously arrive with more significance than others.
My 60th year was not a good time for me. I found myself looking back with regrets about what might have been and forward with pessimism about what the future might hold. The day in the middle representing current time therefore became prime territory for depression, a condition with sufficient history in my family to be of concern. Fortunately, the ill effects of that milestone didn’t continue.
My brother is six years older, but for the 20 days between his birthday and mine, I’m able to take advantage of the extra year’s difference by sending him the tackiest birthday cards I can find.
Let the record show, however, that I didn’t start what has become a twice yearly tradition. It’s all his fault, beginning with a card with the following image on the front:
A figure stands in a black, hooded robe. Under the hood are two blood-red eyes and nothing else. From the right sleeve extends a skeletal hand gripping a long-staffed scythe. And on the inside, the following inscription:
YOU CAN RUN, BUT YOU CANNOT HIDE
Okay, so each year we try to outperform the other with our birthday greetings. On a few occasions I’ve come close to bettering him, but he still has the edge, which he extended this year with three cards I’ll share with you here.
The bad news? I’ll have to wait a year for another attempt at gaining the upper hand.
And the next card is from my lovely wife, who isn’t immune from the tacky card syndrome, but she softens the blow with a few nice ones like this.
Ann added the birthday greeting to the front of this card in keeping with a much nicer family tradition begun some years ago by her sister, Pat Evans, with greetings such as, “64 and ready for more,” “65 and still alive,” etc., until this year when she offered the one Ann used above. Thank you, Pat!
And a final thanks to all who offered birthday greetings and the family who gathered at Abuelo’s for dinner and here for two cakes! Pat’s daughter-in-law Katie Evans has a birthday very close to mine and we tend to combine the celebrations. Great fun was had by all.
