George Celebrates 90

On his 90th birthday George pulled himself up out of his chair and danced with his daughter. A two-year-old, wearing a long frilly dress and Mary Jane patent shoes, danced along with her grandmother and great-grandfather.

George’s daughter Kate invited all the residents at Montclair to join the family – three sons, two daughters, plus numerous grandchildren, in-laws, cousins – at a big, noisy celebration in the dining hall of our retirement community. Champagne, little sandwiches and cookies, colorful table decorations, lots of balloons, and happy people made for a great party.

A Frank Sinatra impersonator sang the songs that evoked memories in all of us. “Fly Me to the Moon”, “Strangers in the Night”, “Set ‘em Up, Joe”, “When I was 21, it was a very good year.” So many more. Sinatra was born the same day as George in 1919; he’s been gone for more than 20 years.

At a lull in the party, after the cake had been served and George blew out the two candles on “9" and “0", I went and sat beside him for a few minutes. I said, “I remember my 80th birthday. I felt surprised. Am I really 80?”

George smiled with a twinkle in his eyes. He said, “Yes! It all happened so fast. It seems like yesterday that I was 20.”

Yesterday, when he was a teenager during the Depression. Yesterday, when he was a young man serving in the Army in World War II.

Yesterday, when he was a producer in the early days of television in New York. Later he was an advertising man making television commercials and raising a family with his wife in Cleveland and Little Rock. Now his daughters have brought him to live among the old folks in Texas. He is an old man, hard-of-hearing and walking with a cane – but still dancing, even letting go of his partner to give her a whirl.

And I am an old lady who doesn’t have anyone to dance with. But I have memories! Bob, Jim, Aaron, all good dancers. Manny could do the Texas Two-Step to anything. John loved to dance and could keep time to the music as he moved his feet back and forth. Wally thought he could dance but was torture to try to follow – maybe that should have been a hint as to his character.

The years passed so fast. Now I wonder what life will be like for my grandson 60 years from now when he is 90. Will he look back on 2009 as a year of the New Depression, unemployment in Illinois and dissension in Washington? Or will he remember 2009 as a glorious time to be young and dancing?