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Walking back from the mailbox, the older man began to open the cards he had received for his birthday. Most of the cards were from his daughters and opening the first one, he began to laugh in his driveway. Over the years, his daughters had come to the realization he was not into serious cards, as his world was one of laughter and the more outrageous the better. Each daughter tried to send the best one and he sometimes got two from the same daughter as she didn’t know which to choose. Considering he was born on St. Patrick’s Day there were always a handful of birthday cards with the leprechaun and shamrocks on it. When he received these cards he would chuckle as he was of French Canadian descent. He couldn’t understand why his friends got so excited that he had been born on a Saints day. It fit him, as he was small like a leprechaun, and one of his brothers always referred to him as a Jap (No offense intended to Japanese people).

Sitting at the kitchen table, he went through the cards, and graded them according to their outrageousness on a scale from 1-10 with most getting 9’s or 10’s. He never told his daughters the group they fell in, as he didn’t want them to feel bad. The phone rang and answering it, he knew it would be the beginning of the calls from his daughters and other relatives. The calls came in all day at different times, the ones who called late always complained the line was busy, he didn’t have call waiting, and the last daughter to call had the privilege to complain he still lived in the Stone Age. The older man still didn’t own a cell phone and this drove his daughters crazy, but this was one of the benefits of being the father.

His wife had already given him his card and his present would come when all the phone calls were done. She always had a new surprise for him each year and he couldn’t wait till it was time to open it. They had been together twenty years and as they aged each present was a joy to behold.

Stepping out onto the lanai, the older man lit up a smoke, sat down on the chaise lounge, inhaled deeply, and thought about his life. He had been alive now for _ _ years (it’s somewhere between 25 and 105. Take a guess.) and was thankful for each and every one. The time had gone by so quickly it was hard to believe. His daughters were getting close to their forties and his grandchildren were growing so fast it seemed to him they were just born yesterday. Each one of his children and grandchildren were a blessing. All the money he had made over the years had gone to them one way or another and he was hanging in their financially but would never be rich. His richness was in the people he loved and those who loved him back. The years had brought some hard times, good times, and times where his family had been a pain in the ass. The ones, who had gone before him, were still very close to his heart. They flashed through his mind and he paused to honor his dad, grandparents, sister-in-law, brother, and friends each one for a few seconds.

Putting out his butt, he walked back into the house, and headed for the sitting room where his wife watched TV. Sitting in his chair, he looked over at his wife who had fallen asleep. She was peaceful, and as he watched her, thought what a remarkable woman she was and how blessed he was to have found her. Even though she had MS, she hardly ever complained. She gave him the courage to be what he wanted to be, who he wanted to be, and the support to be this person.

Getting into bed, he thought about his day and how fortunate he had been. His time was ticking and he would use it wisely. Drifting off to sleep he hoped he would see another St. Patrick’s Day.