This weekend we celebrated my Father's 90th birthday. He is a good man who is still extremely active and independent -  at 90 he lives alone, works, plays golf, travels and dates women younger than me (which will have to be the subject of a later blog :)) There was a 13 year age difference between my Mom and Dad and so when Mom died so young from breast cancer it really rocked him to his very core. He never expected to get left. You know that feeling...being left behind. It's debilitating. Mom died 25 years ago and he never re-married, never even came close because nobody could possibly measure up to my Mother. I wished that he had found someone. I think she would have wanted that. We don't get to choose these things that happen to us in life we can only react and hope for the best. I think he has coped well over the years and done his best to be an active participant in life.

Apparently turning 90 isn't that big of a deal anymore. Did you know that there are  over two million people living in the United States that are 90 or older? There are 131,000 that are 100 or older. What does life look like through the eyes of a person that has seen nearly 100 years of history and human events transpire? How do these folks keep up with the ever-changing world that we live in? How do they process it all? I get dizzy with the fast paced news coming at me multiple times per day and I'm sure many of you do as well. 

When I called my Dad to wish him a happy birthday we got into a lively discussion about what is happening in Greece and the condition of the Euro and its possible effect on world markets, particularly the US. Not only did he hold his own in the conversation but he mowed me down with his understanding and comprehension of the global political climate. So, I'm thinking that turning 90 is ok and I hope that I am blessed with his great genes!

Love you Dad, Happy Birthday.

~Jo-Anne