Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Scrolling for Birth Years

Earlier this morning I forgot my apple ID password. Again. I'm blaming it on the iPhone update, which I was forced to do and now I hate. But, if I'm forced to be honest, it probably has to do with my memory. One of the things I had to do in order for Apple to acknowledge that I am, in fact, me was to ask two security questions and my birth date.

I passed the first two tests (whew!) and got to my birth date. My finger easily found July and I had to let the numbers roll, Vegas-slot-machine-style, to "31." Okay, done.

Then, to the year. I feel like scrolling to "1976" took a while. Like, too long for this newly 40 year old's liking. But I chuckled to myself, knowing that age ain't nothing but a number. It's just amazing to me that kids born in the 2000s are getting driver's licenses this year. And kids born when I graduated from college (1998) can vote in this crazy election. Silly statistics like these blow me away each time I read them.

A few hours later, I sat at my computer, buying two airline tickets. These aren't just any airline tickets to carry any ol' person from Place A to Place B. Nope, these tickets are carrying my mother and her father, my sweet grandfather, from Erie, Pennsylvania, all the way to me in Seattle, Washington. My 94 year old grandfather is flying across the country to attend my children's Grandparents' Day at their new school here in Washington. I'm so excited. I'm a little nervous, too--he is in excellent health for such an old guy, but I know this sort of trip takes a certain amount of courage, and I'm so lucky that he's got that amount (and more, methinks).

I had to enter his birth date into the system to buy his plane ticket. 1922. Man. 1922! I had to shake my head at the fact that, just a few hours earlier, I was blown away by my own birth year. I've got nothing on my Grandpa, and that's a fun thing.

My fingers and toes are crossed that his journey is as quick and easy as possible. I can't wait for him (and my mom!) to get here. The times when four generations of my family can be together, under one roof, sitting at one table, laughing at the same stories is so very limited and, therefore, so very precious.

I bought two airline tickets so that I could have this priceless stuff of memories!

4 comments:

Kathleen Neagle Sokolowski said...

Wow! How special to have your grandfather make such a big journey for you and your children! Grandparents are such gifts. I miss mine every single day. Hope the visit is full of amazing moments.

Mary Ann Reilly said...

Heartfelt story. Hope the journey is quick and easy too. Enjoy.

Mary Ann Reilly said...

Heartfelt story. Hope the journey is quick and easy too. Enjoy.

Unknown said...

I told my class recently that I started kindergarten in 1969 and that my Mom was born in 1931. It felt like I could have said Stone Age for both, they were so gobsmacked.