A Birthday Re-post and Photos

It's that time again...So here is an edited birthday re-post for those of you who did not see it last year.

Fifty-four years ago on August 3, a twenty-year-old woman, soon to be divorced, was packing to leave her sad excuse of a husband. She had been to her OBGYN earlier that day for her seven month prenatal visit and the doctor had cleared her for the drive she planned to make from South Carolina to Florida, where she planned to stay with her grandmother.

Told that her pregnancy was progressing normally, she looked forward to leaving and having time to settle before her late October due date. As evening lengthened, she began to feel something wasn't right, and by the time she had reached a friend who drove her to the hospital on a nearby Air Force base, labour had begun.

Steps were taken to halt its progress, including she would later claim, being given something that knocked her out. Upon reaching consciousness early on the morning of August 4, she learned that a daughter had been born. Doctors were not optimistic about the newborn's chances of survival and her young mother was afraid of the loss of this, her second daughter, in just under a year...

That young woman was my mother and I've thought a lot about her these last two weeks, as she died shortly before my birth date fifteen years ago. I have also cheated death on more than one occasion, so birthdays hold a special significance for me. I have learned to be humbly grateful for friends, time and the myriad other things that fill my life.

As I celebrate this weekend, I'll also pause to remember some special folks I've met through blogging. Thanks for being out there. Be well. May we all have a wonderful year ahead. The photos here were added after this re-post and are me as a newborn and as a teen.

Until Next Time...

Glimpses of a Day

I did not get many photos at all from my recent day out with Steve, whose blog you can find here. The battery in my not-so-trusty point-and-shoot decided to die after the middle picture here was snapped. As you can see, Steve took two photos of me so those of you who have always wondered what I might look like can now have a glimpse.

Ybor Gold and the green drink in the first photo preceded our lunch at Stone Soup, a small cafe in Ybor City. Once home to Tampa's cigar industry, Ybor City now features bars, night clubs, eateries, galleries and other small businesses, including longtime vintage clothing store, La France, into which we eventually ducked as respite from the summer heat and humidity.

For those curious about the liquid portion of our lunch, Ybor Gold was once brewed locally. My green drink was non-alcoholic, all fresh ingredients and included pineapple, a wonderful treat on a hot afternoon.

After walking the length of Seventh Avenue,  we decided to visit a nearby yogurt shop. Unfortunately, we could not get in the front entrance and went through many twists and turns at the back of an alley way searching for the accessible entry the store claimed to have only to give up and come all the way back to the front. Steve pulled me in through the doorway, a feat I would not have been able to attempt alone.

Once we made our way back to his father's truck, we decided to drive downtown and pray for decent parking. We were also hoping to find the boarding point for downtown trolley, which we failed to do. After hitting some uneven pavement and the track at a light, and landing on my knees, a coffee was in order. We then headed back to my hotel since Steve had dinner plans with another friend.