I'm sorry, Eva. I hope your day wasn't too bad. How wonderful to have your daughter's birthday on the same day as yours. Maybe there is a reason for that. :-) Hopefully, it helped you get through missing your dear twin sister as much. Lu

In church on Sunday, they had on the screen something like, "It may take a long time ... but sooner or later, you'll quote your mother". Mom was out of my life from when I was just under 6 ... psych hosp, six months after birth of last child, probably post-partum depression. Said to be schizo. Died in 1942, when I was 13. She was reportedly a fine lady ... I wish that I could remember more about her. After step-mother's death, Dad talked quite a lot about Mom to brother's son. As a number of you know ... I find that I quote my Dad rather frequently. ole joyful

I had a great father, though my mother was absolutely wonderful. Dad was flawed, but when we siblings get together, it is of our dad that we tell the stories, starting with, "Remember when...?" He was born in the 1890s and did not marry till late, as the country was coming out of the Depression. Then within the first 7 years, he became the father of 4 noisy children. I suspect it was somewhat overwhelming for him. We were always being admonished with such phrases as "Nicely, quietly, and politely!" His favorite reply was no. If I whined that the neighbor girl was being allowed to do what he had denied me, he'd remark, "If Suzie jumped off a cliff, would you want to?" He had tall children and was forever telling us to stand up, stand tall, quit slouching over, and to speak up, quit mumbling, quit fiddling with that (whatever) and sit still. He had been the bachelor around town till marrying mom in his early 40s. The good lord punished him for all his ways with the ladies by giving him 3 daughters (and one son). How he worried about us girls, especially after Mom died. But we all turned out fine, though he did not live to see what we would do with our lives.

"The decade milestones certainly do get us to stop, think and reflect." I have always cherished and respected 'zero' birthdays. For me, they are a day to reflect on where I was on past decade milestones, where I may be in the future...I'll turn 60 in less than 2 years and I hope it is a happy introspective day; all my other zeroes have been. Truly life has always seemed brighter every decade for me although there are of course sorrows. Maybe it affects my outlook that my own mother never saw her 43rd birthday. I'm so grateful for every one I can celebrate. Happy birthday Annie, and hope the bright days outshine the dark for you always!