Happy birthday, dear!

Today is Jane's birthday (not to be confused with the band dear jane). "My" dear is now one year younger than me. I would say she's getting better with age, but... hmm, I don't know if that's possible. She has always been just fine. ;)

I was hoping to have a montage of pictures to post, but the old ScanJet 4100C sits in the corner not currently linked to anything. I don't even know if it works anymore. We'll see later.

It was actually 26 years ago today that I made my first official "move" on the sweet lady Jane. Oh, I had known this cute little sandy-blonde since grade school. But it was the 1980-81 school year that we first talked much. I sat by her in an english class and secretly admired her fingernails. One day I mentioned that she had changed nail polish, and I think that registered something in her mind - like, 'hmm, this guy is perceptive... or a stalker.' But, you know, even though she was only a Junior, she was dating a college guy. So I didn't ever think much.

Until... her 17th birthday. I wrote a stupid little poem... something like, 'Roses are red/ violets are blue/ I hope it's a happy/ birthday for you,' and I stuck it in her locker. I still remember seeing her after school that day. I was in the hallway between the gym and the cafeteria - stretching, getting ready for track practice - and here she came. I couldn't tell if she was mad or about to cry, so I did a lot of looking at the ground. First thing she says is, "What is this?!" I think I managed something profound like, "uh... I dunno."

To make a long story short, we went out a couple of nights later. I think we went to a volleyball game in Tampico, with a stop off at the Catholic cemetary afterwards (no, there was no "parking"... it was just a nice outta-the-way place to talk). The rest, as they say, is h-i-s-t-o-r-y...

I don't know how I managed to do so well. She has always been one of the kindest, sweetest, most unassuming, gentle souls I know. God has blessed me indeed. He knew it would take a special person to listen to my constant whining and complaining, to cook for me, make my tea, make the bed, keep the checkbook, do the taxes, tiptoe around my moods, overlook my insecurities, stroke my ego, and patiently mold me into any kind of a normal, useful human being.

Well, I could go on for quite some time, so, just let me say... Happy birthday, dear. I love you. Life's been good to me so far (any guesses where this line comes from?).

You can wish Jane a happy birthday by leaving a comment here, or on her blog "Radical Hope."