January 16th

For 25 years I celebrated January 16th as my husband's birthday. After he died it was a day I dreaded because it signalled the beginning of the end of the short battle he lost to pancreatic cancer in 2002. That all changed last year.

My chosen sister, the woman that's been my best friend, muse, writing partner, sounding board and the only person that ever really has understood me (including my husband at times), indirectly gave me the best gift that anyone could have on that date. Indirectly because the one that gave me the gift was her daughter. She had one beautiful daughter and was pregnant again. The baby was due in late March, but due to complications and medical reasons that are too complicated to go into, she was induced.

On my cell phone on January 15, 2008 was a message from that wonderful young woman, "I don't care if I have to cross my legs, this baby will be born on Corky's birthday". I cried. And on January 16th after a battle that was hard fought, she kept her promise.

So now, January 16th has a new meaning to me. It's a new beginning and on January 16, 2009, that beautiful baby turned a year old. She's had a hard battle this year. Spent the first months of her life in the hospital, fought off an infection that at the least could have caused her to lose a limb and at worst could have killed her. Thanks to the attentiveness and closeness of family it was discovered soon enough that neither happened. Now the little beauty is walking and talking. She's a year old and I can't be happier that January 16th is a date that I can once again look forward to celebrating.

Happy Birthday Miss Gracie.