Life's Bookend Birthdays: John and Olivia

Happy 91st Birthday!

Birthdays are worthy of special recognition, even if the celebration is on a small scale. It is, after all, the day we each came into the world and like the hallelujah chorus that rang out for the Savior's birth, I'd like to think that each of us had our own chorus of angels singing out on our birthdays. Happy Birthdays in our family, this month go out to Leilani, Kevin, Helena, Jimbo,  and John with an early H.B. to cutie pie Olivia (in February). My family (Flinks) don't have many relatives here in the USA, but John and his sister Elsie are my grandfather's cousins and as luck would have it, they live only 2 miles from us. It's been fun to get to know both of them. They are fun to talk to. John still drives and loves to watch sports on t.v. They both seem much younger than their years. I hope I inherited that family thread, too.
When I looked at the photos in my camera the other day, I loved seeing photos from John and Olivia's little celebrations while they each visited us and I thought about everything that comes between their two birthdays in a person's life. John just celebrated his 91st birthday and Olivia will be 4 at the beginning of February. John can look back and Olivia doesn't even comprehend what it means to look ahead yet. By the time Olivia turns 91, so many of us will be long gone, but she will have a rich, full life behind her and many loved ones anxiously awaiting her arrival on the other side. When John turned 4, the world was a differnt place. It was 1924. 

If you were around in 1924, then this is what was happening:

• Ira and George Gershwin, along with Irving Berlin continued to dominate the music industry and Rhapsody in Blue is played for the very first time. (Rhapsody in Blue lives on and sounds as fresh as ever. Adam likes to play parts at our house.)

• The IBM corporation was founded.

• Calvin Coolidge was President.

• The Indian Citizenship Act passed on June 2nd which confers citizenship on all Native Americans born within the United States.

• California had both a Hoof and Mouth epidemic AND 25 people in LA die from Pneumonic Plague

• The first regular airmail services started in the USA

• A Ford Runabout cost $265. $85 extra for a starter (Could you start it without a starter?? I don't know.)

• Eggs- .25/doz.

• You could buy a 7 room home with garage and fruit orchard in Wisconsin for $5,200.

• And for your listening a viewing pleasure from 1924 a recording of Sweet Georgia Brown:

Now, John's birthday...

What's your wish, John?

My dad and John

John and Annie

This is my mom with Elsie, John's older sister. Guess what?! She's going to be 100 in April!! I haven't met too many people who have been on the earth that long. We are going to party. We can hardly wait!

Now little Miss Olivia's Pre-Birthday...

And what does a 4 year old wish for I wonder?

Olivia's 2nd and 3rd birthdays are here and here.

Happy 4th Birthday, Olivia! Wishing you at least 87 more years of Birthday Wishes coming true.