82, 80, and 68

Those are the ages of the three remaining George siblings, born of my parents. There were originally five of us. Those who would have been 86 and 84 each died at the age of 65. I am 68. Yesterday I attended the, mostly, drive by birthday party of sibling number four who turned 80. Let’s put some names in here so this post doesn’t sound so mathematic. Donald and Janice are the two who passed away way too early. Jim, Gary, and Dennis (that’s me!) are the surviving brothers.

Did you notice the age difference between me and the others? Jim and Gary grew up in the ’50s. Their music was Elvis and Pat Boone and Chuck Berry and really twangy Country. I grew up, in the ’60s, with the Beatles and Stones and really good Motown. They came of age in the time when you could graduate from high school and get a great paying job at Mack Trucks or Bethlehem Steel. I came of age at the tail end of that time. There are big generational differences between us.

But the three of us have more in common than we have differences. We all were raised in Slatington and we all have fond memories of that time and place. We have, of course, the same parents, Winfield and Bessie! Our dad never made a lot of money, but enough to get by. My mom, who may have been resentful of just getting by, was often cranky. If I think back now I can honestly never recall her smiling. But together they raised the five of us. And the five of us turned out to be pretty decent people, if I do say so myself. We shared in the love of our aunts, uncles, and cousins. Those aunts and uncles are all gone. The memories of them remain strong.

The party was nice, though very very short. I got to see nieces and nephews and their spouses that I haven’t seen in a long time. We don’t have as many family gatherings as we once had. It was nice because I love my brothers very much and who knows how many chances we will have to be together. They have both been role models for me, though I didn’t always follow their lead. In retrospect, I know I probably should have been paying more attention. Their long marriages to high school sweethearts are the gold standard of marriages that we don’t see much of anymore.

How do I wrap up this post? I guess by stating again how important family is and how fast time goes. A shout out to my deceased siblings, Don and Jan. I wish we were all together still. But life goes on. Cherish the people that love you and that you love. Live every day like it is your last. Like the Beatles sang… Tomorrow Never Knows.