Birthday Shout Out #9

When I made the resolution on the birthday shout outs I was referring to the people that I normally exchange birthday greetings with, but as I hobble along with this resolution I realize that I remember a lot of people's birthdays even if we don't exchange cards. Facebook birthday postings have made that easier, but I still have a few friends and neighbors whose birthdays I remember and so I'm shouting out to those whose birthdays I have celebrated in the past. Plus, they read my blog and I'm so very grateful for their support!

Today's shout out is for my former childhood neighbor Barry who lived across the street from us. We lived in a great neighborhood where all of the kids hung out and played with each other. Barry's house was our house and vice versa, and we came and went into each other's abodes without hesitation. It was a different time where your neighbors were as much a part of your family as your own, and we always celebrated birthdays with each other.

Barry was in the same grade as me, although we only shared a homeroom one year. A good part Most of the time he was annoying like my brother. He and my brother, and a lot of the time Barry's brother, ganged up against and picked on us girls; his sister and me. Despite that we had each other's backs against everyone else's even if we didn't have it against each other.

When Barry got a job at the local pizza joint we would come in to pick up our pizza doing things that we hoped would embarrass him, but secretly it was cool to know him. He was involved in a lot of our fork lore shenanigans, including the after midnight stuck car in our back yard. He was the first person to take me out of the neighborhood on my bicycle. Our parents let Barry, his brother, and I ride our bikes to a hot dog restaurant down by our nearest high school, and I remember how bossy direct he was in telling us what to do issuing safety advice while we rode, but that trip gave me confidence to explore outside my comfort zone. He was the first to drive and the first to get his license, and although he griped about it, he did chauffeur us to various places and activities.

Eventually we all grew up and moved on and kept in touch via the parents. The last time I truly remember seeing Barry was during Christmas on one of my trips back home. He brought his daughter over to introduce us to her. I couldn't believe that the boy I knew was a man, let alone, a father, but he was the best dad playing with her on the floor, talking baby talk, and anticipating her moods and her needs. It was also a relief to see that he had turned out to be a decent human being. I remember being very impressed and also very proud that he had turned out to be a strong, yet caring father.

Now we have reconnected through social media again and I get to see his bald head, pictures and read about his life. Happy Birthday Barry! I'm glad we are back in touch because you and your siblings really are a part of our family.