A question I'm often asked when interviewed is why I write Romance. Well, I was raised by a real hero, and I married one. Neither one of them ever let me down.
April 15th is my birthday. Yes, traditional income tax day, the day the TITANIC sank, and the day Abraham Lincoln died, etc. I want to go on record that Lincoln was actually shot on the 14th, and the TITANIC struck the iceberg on the 14th. Okay...? Just saying...
But April 15th is D-day--the sinking, the dying, the taxes, my birthday, and--just to be consistent--also the day my late husband and I learned his cancer was definitely terminal. No wonder I always get depressed on my birthday!
Hey, at least it's an easy date to remember. Right?
People always ask what I want for a gift, and I always say, "Nothing, thanks." If they persist, I say, "Just a card." They think I'm kidding. I'm not.
I'm a writer and a reader. Words mean a lot to me. If you're here reading my blog, they obviously mean a lot to you, too.
My mom died in 1997. She's the one who taught me to love reading, and my dad taught me to love history and research. Mom always went to great pains to pick out meaningful cards for family members for every special occasion.
Dad has carried on her tradition of sending cards that really mean something, and they never fail to make me cry. ::sigh:: In fact, I know he takes extra care since Mom died, and also--I think--since my husband lost his heroic battle with cancer in 2005.
There's no question about why my dad is still my hero. Is there?
This year's birthday card arrived in today's mail (the day before my infamous birthday) and reads as follows:
FRONT:
Daughter, You are always in my heart...
INSIDE:
I want you to know
that I love you
every bit as much today
as the day you were born.
And though I may not
hold you in my arms
the way I did then,
I always hold you safely
in my thoughts
and in my heart.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Love, Dad
#
Well, it doesn't get any better than that. Does it? Where are my tissues?
So, when someone tells you they want a card for their birthday, please bear in mind that they may really mean it....
Happy reading.
Love,
My 3rd birthday with my mom and little brother.