Benjamin joined our family at exactly 11:59 am on this day last year. The nurse gently placed this tiny stranger who I seemed to have already known all of my life on my chest. The doctor looked at the clock slapped his hands together and announced “Okay, lunchtime!” With that, he and his entourage hurried out the door leaving our new little family of three alone in the room. Soon the chimes filled the halls of Methodist hospital announcing that another new life had entered the world.

I have been a silly sentimental sappy sop all week. I closed my office door for the long MLK weekend last Friday and thought, “This time last year, I closed my door….and never came back…” (well, at least not for 10 weeks) I would periodically declare to Peter, “This time last year, we were timing my contractions”,  ” This time last year I was hurriedly being pushed through the hospital halls in a wheelchair.” and  “This time last year our life changed forever and is so much better than I could have ever imagined.”

I awoke to Garrison Keillor’s voice on the radio this morning on “the Writer’s Almanac.” I learned Ben shares his birthday with two of my favorite wordsmiths. One whose name is synonymous with synonyms; “Peter Roget.” The other whose name is synonymous with a silly old bear named Pooh; “A.A. Milne.” Good company indeed.

With that, I will close with wise words from his birthday companion. A wish for Ben on his very first birthday.

“Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”

- A.A. Milne

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