Thursday, June 2, 2016

His Own Man

On the occasion of Ben's 26th birthday, two favorite photos ~
one of Ben and one of his younger brother Sam,
each on their Spring Break Trips ~ March 2014:

Ben in Istanbul ~ photo by Katie O'Connor

And yet another poem that, in most timely fashion, I encountered for the first time when flying home from North Carolina last week, where we celebrated Gerry's 60th birthday (on May 18th), my 59th (on May 24th), and Ben's 26th (in advance):
Ah, this is the thing that comes to each of us.
The child grows up.
And, according to our own ideas, is practically asunder.

I understand it.
I struggle to celebrate.
I say, with a stiff upper lip familiar to many:

Just look at that curlyhaired child now,
he’s his own man.


from the poem "Percy (Seven)"
by Mary Oliver
in her book Thirst
Sam in Taiwan at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial

Summer 1994 ~ Our Own Boys
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ELDER SON BENEDICT!

No comments:

Post a Comment