I like October 27. It is my Mom’s birthday. Without this date, without this event, I would not be typing out this little blog right now.
I won’t go into all the wonderful little details about my Mom, as there were many. Lucille Rita Rose was a good woman, through and through, and I am forever grateful for her and all the beautiful kindness she gave this world. She made endless sacrifices in her life. She had a beautiful smile that could light an entire room. She welcomed others. All throughout her life.
Thanks, Mom. I love you.
I always find it interesting to see what other kinds of people were born on the same date as someone else. In this case, my Mom.
Probably, the most notable on October 27 was Theodore Roosevelt in 1858. Of course, we know him as our 26th President. Bully.
James Cook — Explorer — 1728
Isaac Singer — Inventor of the sewing machine — 1811
Emily Post — Etiquette writer — 1872
Roy Lichtenstein — Pop art painter — 1923
Sylvia Plath — Poet and novelist — 1932
John Cleese — Actor and comedian — 1939
I like to see these birthdays because I often wonder if they share common characteristics. If I look through this little list, I can say that Mom was like these people in many ways — a leader (Roosevelt) and explorer (Cook), she loved to sew (Singer), she thought manners were quite important (Post), she was an artist (Lichtenstein), she loved to read (Plath), and she had a great sense of humor (Cleese).
But then there are some others on this list.
H.R. Haldeman — Nixon’s chief of staff — 1926
John Gotti — Mafia gangster — 1940
Dick Trickle — Race car driver and the man with the worst name ever — 1941
Edward Lee — CIA agent and Soviet spy — 1951
Marla Maples — Wife of Donald Trump — 1963
Oy vey!
Well. Let me go through this list.
My mom was chief of staff of her household (Haldeman), she stole jelly packets from restaurants (Gotti), she was a fast driver (Trickle), she was a little bit nosy (Lee), and she wouldn’t leave the house without “putting on her face” (Maples).
This little birthday assessment reminds me about all of us. Though it might not always be apparent, we have some commonalities with all people.
It is often easier to see the differences, especially in these times of political dissension. I’m as guilty of this as anyone. Perhaps I will never agree with certain views that people hold. But those feelings might not be so severe if I also knew that they love dogs or that they are caring for a family member who is ill. Or a hundred other things.
The Birthday Test, I suppose, is what I’ll call it.
At the very core of things, we are all human. And every one of us has a “something” we are going through.
And in that should be our shared compassion.
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We must learn to regard people less in the light of what they do or omit to do, and more in the light of what they suffer.” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer
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“The highest form of knowledge is empathy.” – Bill Bullard
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“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river, and he’s not the same man.” — Heraclitus
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The Birthday Test. Let’s all take it.
