For the last couple of years, since I have been living in Florida, I have been going up to the Bronx for my birthday. I would go to a Yankee game, last year I got to two. Last year Sean and Jeannine and York took me out to Frankie and Johnnies for dinner, and I am still stuffed.

This year I, sadly, won’t be able to travel for my birthday.

No surprise as this year is a monumental birthday for me, and they usually don’t go as planned.

The last monumental birthday that went well was in 1990 when I turned forty. It coincided with graduating from law school, and Eileen staged a wham-bam surprise party that was just terrific.

Ten years later, when I turned fifty, I had a physical that discovered that I had leukemia.

Feeling cheated out of a celebration, when I turned sixty in 2000, I planned a JIMBORY. It was going to be my own surprise party.

But just after my sixtieth birthday, Eileen was diagnosed with breast cancer.

From then on, I wanted nothing to do with having a big celebration for my birthday, it was just not worth fretting over the “What next?”

So, this year, I will be seventy and, with all that has been going on with Corona and the strife that our country is dealing with, who has a reason to celebrate?

The answer is you do!

You see, Jeannine and York have provided the joy that has been hard to come by these last few months. They will be the proud parents of Eileen and my first grandchild.

So, we will be having a HAPPY MONUMENTAL BIRTHDAY after all, but it will be in December.

Eileen and I are delirious and already learning our new roles.

Having shared in all the joy which with the Newells et al. have been blessed, I know you can appreciate how delighted and excited we are.