Happy Birthday Lori
Today my niece Lori is having a Birthday. Happy Birthday, Lori! Another year around the sun.
But I was thinking, what are we really celebrating? The number of years is unimportant, what we should be celebrating is that the person was born. She came into our lives to make the world a better place. My sister Patsy had married and moved to Hawaii, there wasn't a place farther away from our home state of Vermont. Her husband was a surfer and they lived on the North shore of the island of Oahu. My first visit to meet Lori was when she was still a baby.
For two weeks, my parents and I lived in Hawaii. We lived in Haleiwa, slept in a rental shack on a dairy farm. Dad and I would take the bikes through a sugar cane field so we could get to town to mail our postcards. We spent a lot of time at the beach as seen in the photo above. Me with Lori and my sister Pat. That is my mom Stella in the background. We were all so happy to meet Lori.
I have visited Hawaii for four whole weeks and never have I spent a night in a hotel or motel or resort. Always, I have stayed with family, in the same house as Lori, my niece. (Well, one night was in an A-frame building at a state park, but it was screened in, and that is a different story.)
As a kid, Lori came to stay with my parents twice. First time was around five and the second time was when she was eight, the same year I graduated from college. I moved to Florida to live with my parents and Lori was there too. Now, instead of a niece, I had a little sister I could pick on. Provoncha trait...pick until they cry!
But there were good times like this trip to Disney World. Who knew that this place would become an important part of Lori's life.
My second two weeks in Hawaii was to visit Pat & Lori when they were living in Hilo. Here is Lori in the driveway of the place they lived. Those are papaya trees along the driveway. There was an avocado tree in the back. There was a lot of guacamole on that trip. It was my first trip alone to someplace other than Vermont. We made a circumnavigation of the big island of Hawaii.
When my dad (Lori's grandpa Harry) died, family gathered at the trailer park for a different kind of celebration. But is it? When someone dies, we try and celebrate their life. We should be doing the same thing on their Birthday. Celebrate their life while you can thank them for being in your life. Here is Grandma Stella with four of the five grandkids, Lori in front.
My dad dying changed my sister; she missed his passing and decided to leave Hawaii after 23 years and moved to Florida. She wanted to be closer to mom (sometimes too close.) Lori followed and I am thankful for that. It was ten years after dad had died that mom left us. Pat & Lori, now both living in Florida, were an integral part of my surviving this. Dad was a tough loss but Mom was even tougher. But Lori, with her smiling face, was there...
Then Lori got married to James. What a catch! It doesn't matter who caught who, they were both lucky to meet each other. And that helps the uncle too. Wedding day was on Leap Day 2004. There was a slight Hawaiian influence...
Of course, with marriage, comes divorce, but this is not about me...The next logical step is to have children and Lori and James had Rowan. What a fine young man, just like his parents.
As often happens, a second one comes along, Morgan! Here they are at their parents renewal vows they do every four years. I did say they married on leap day. Beautiful kids from a beautiful niece.
Lori and James have moved to Virginia, so I do not get to see them as often. But Lori is good (or I should say great) at making sure she sees the people she loves. Luckily, I feel like one of those who get some attention. Me and my cousin Patti with Lori...
Lori has brought me joy as a niece, as a little sister, as a mother, wife and yes, a friend. You cannot ask for much more than that. So on this Birthday, lets forget about how many years you have lived, but how well you have lived them! And may there be many more celebrations!
BTW, because of Lori, I have meant a lot of interesting people that Lori and James know. I mean INTERESTING...
Happy Birthday, Lori, I love you!
But I was thinking, what are we really celebrating? The number of years is unimportant, what we should be celebrating is that the person was born. She came into our lives to make the world a better place. My sister Patsy had married and moved to Hawaii, there wasn't a place farther away from our home state of Vermont. Her husband was a surfer and they lived on the North shore of the island of Oahu. My first visit to meet Lori was when she was still a baby.
For two weeks, my parents and I lived in Hawaii. We lived in Haleiwa, slept in a rental shack on a dairy farm. Dad and I would take the bikes through a sugar cane field so we could get to town to mail our postcards. We spent a lot of time at the beach as seen in the photo above. Me with Lori and my sister Pat. That is my mom Stella in the background. We were all so happy to meet Lori.
I have visited Hawaii for four whole weeks and never have I spent a night in a hotel or motel or resort. Always, I have stayed with family, in the same house as Lori, my niece. (Well, one night was in an A-frame building at a state park, but it was screened in, and that is a different story.)
As a kid, Lori came to stay with my parents twice. First time was around five and the second time was when she was eight, the same year I graduated from college. I moved to Florida to live with my parents and Lori was there too. Now, instead of a niece, I had a little sister I could pick on. Provoncha trait...pick until they cry!
But there were good times like this trip to Disney World. Who knew that this place would become an important part of Lori's life.
My second two weeks in Hawaii was to visit Pat & Lori when they were living in Hilo. Here is Lori in the driveway of the place they lived. Those are papaya trees along the driveway. There was an avocado tree in the back. There was a lot of guacamole on that trip. It was my first trip alone to someplace other than Vermont. We made a circumnavigation of the big island of Hawaii.
When my dad (Lori's grandpa Harry) died, family gathered at the trailer park for a different kind of celebration. But is it? When someone dies, we try and celebrate their life. We should be doing the same thing on their Birthday. Celebrate their life while you can thank them for being in your life. Here is Grandma Stella with four of the five grandkids, Lori in front.
My dad dying changed my sister; she missed his passing and decided to leave Hawaii after 23 years and moved to Florida. She wanted to be closer to mom (sometimes too close.) Lori followed and I am thankful for that. It was ten years after dad had died that mom left us. Pat & Lori, now both living in Florida, were an integral part of my surviving this. Dad was a tough loss but Mom was even tougher. But Lori, with her smiling face, was there...
Then Lori got married to James. What a catch! It doesn't matter who caught who, they were both lucky to meet each other. And that helps the uncle too. Wedding day was on Leap Day 2004. There was a slight Hawaiian influence...
Of course, with marriage, comes divorce, but this is not about me...The next logical step is to have children and Lori and James had Rowan. What a fine young man, just like his parents.
As often happens, a second one comes along, Morgan! Here they are at their parents renewal vows they do every four years. I did say they married on leap day. Beautiful kids from a beautiful niece.
Lori and James have moved to Virginia, so I do not get to see them as often. But Lori is good (or I should say great) at making sure she sees the people she loves. Luckily, I feel like one of those who get some attention. Me and my cousin Patti with Lori...
Lori has brought me joy as a niece, as a little sister, as a mother, wife and yes, a friend. You cannot ask for much more than that. So on this Birthday, lets forget about how many years you have lived, but how well you have lived them! And may there be many more celebrations!
BTW, because of Lori, I have meant a lot of interesting people that Lori and James know. I mean INTERESTING...
Happy Birthday, Lori, I love you!
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