Happy Birthday (1)
I’m not sure myself when my birthday was. My mother told me by the lunar calendar that it is the 7th of February. Sometimes my mother even says my birthday is the 17th of February. Since both of my older brothers are both born in February, I think she must have confused them. Since when I was born, the infancy mortality was very high. So the birthday was set to be many months after. At any rate, in my family register, my birthday was changed to February 28th, 1944. In the mid 1970s, after the conversion of lunar to solar calendar, there was a conversing table. When I checked my birthday, (according to my mother) it was March 3rd. I just thought of it that way, but wasn’t really sure if that was the correct date. But on my family register it says the 28th of February, 1944 anyway.
When church members ask my birthday, I simply say “It’s in February”. I do not say to people my specific birth date. My wife celebrates my birthday on the 28th of February, while my children celebrate on the 3rd of March. Even if my birthday isn’t very accurate, I still exist!
The reverend that I admire also has a birthday on lunar calendar. When it was time for him to retire, many of the congregation wanted him to do that next year, because many knew his birthday was in November according to lunar calendar (December according to solar calendar). Despite the offer, he said “I know my birthday the best” and retired at minimum age of 70. I felt that he was such a great leader at that time.
Another reason why I do not give out my exact birthday is, because I feel that many of the congregation would be obliged to give me a birthday greeting. There are several church members who do care a lot about reverend’s birthday. I feel slightly bothered, and would also the congregate members. So every time it is my birthday, I had celebrated it with my immediate family. But there is no true secret in world. Every time, there is often someone would give a birthday card and with a gift certificate to have dinner somewhere. Whenever I see something like that of deep love, I would give that to good use instead of using it myself. Recently, I gave it over to the CHA scholarship to be used there.
About 2 years ago, I went to my son’s place in Nevada by driving. On the way from returning, I had stopped at a gas station about 2 hours from home. While looking around the station, I found a card with “1944 was a wonderful year…” card, with writing, ‘Nostalgia Year Card’. I bought that card. There was a writing of who was born, the president of that year, famous people who were born, and of the Nobel Prize winners, and the price range of things.
In 1944, the famous people were, from Franklin Delano Roosevelt (who was president at that time), George Lucas (who made the StarWars – born March 14th), former New York Mayor Rudolph William Louis “Rudy” Guiliani was born May 28th, Michael Douglass, a famous actor was born on the September 25th. Current president’s tenure is 8 years, but as World War II was happening, in 1944, President Roosevelt had been re-elected 4 times. General Douglas McArthur became the supreme commander of army – 5 stars, and many highways started to form in United States.
Biel aspirin bottles costs 59 cents per bottle, toothpaste was 39 cents, bicycles costs $29.50, and gasoline was only 21 cents a gallon. It is so amazing seeing the stark difference compared to today. It was the time when tigers were smoking pipes. (It’s an old Korean adage when time was distant from current date) The most popular movie was ‘Going My Way’ and the best male actor was Bing Crosby. Best female actress was Ingrid Bergman. They were both well-known actor/ actress during my middle school years. At that year, the ‘Red Cross’ won the Nobel Prize. Football, which is very important to United States, the winning team of Superbowl was Green Bay Packers. College basketball team was Ohio State. Those were the things written in history of the year 1944.
There is a saying that one writes their life like a book before they die. Now that I am now 70 years old, I have to think deeply about what kind of book of the paths I have chosen to take.
(March 1st, 2014)
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