Mouseday 21

In which our Hero posts a backlogged entry for a mouse he already done speaked to so this is fairly redundant, just tradition

Dear Mouse,

It’s been 21 years since I heard about your arrival on a phone at the university you now attend. How weird is that? You’re half way through your fourth year of higher education. You’re grown up. I know you’re feeling a little buried under the long stream of school you’re picking, but you’re not missing life. You’re in it.

But you’re 21. I’ve had more years with you than without you. How cool is that? 🙂

Not sure what little scrap of wisdom to offer you. You just keep on being you, I think you’re doing spectacularly well. I’m here for when you have questions or just want to hear me rerun stories of when you were little. I’m so happy you’re in my life.

When I called you to wish you a happy birthday, though, you said something that was strange to me. I know I’ve been saying I’ve been crazy busy, but you were sounding a little surprised that I remembered your birthday. Little girl, I can’t forget you. I can forget the date for a little while. I can get busy and not call till late (hasn’t happened yet). But if I’m alive, I know when it’s your birthday. I think it’s a perfectly reasonable thing for you to wonder, but to try to consider it is just incomprehensible. You’re in my heart, you silly thing.

I like you as an adult, by the way. Did I mention that? Grown up you is interesting and makes me excited to see what you become.

I love you. Happy Birthday.

Your chachen.

The day her birthday falls is the day that, in Canada, we take to commemorate our soldiers who offered their lives in defense of our past and our present, their future. I was speaking to someone who remarked on the fact that our World War I veterans have passed on and our World War II veterans are older and frail.

It makes me sad. They could live a hundred more years and we could not do them enough honour. But also, they carry the gravity of what they experienced and I think their eyes challenge us to do better. I think we suffer for their lack.

Someday Snoopy will shake his fist and curse the Red Baron, and all people will think of is a frozen pizza.