Joanna's birthday - I took her to supper at the Olive Garden and it was a sweet evening , just the two of us - felt good. Thirty one years ago feels like a long time, especially with her Daddy having been dead twenty of them. he was so much a part of the day of her birth, the beginning of her life. I remember walking to the library in labor with her - to speed things up, some of the same route I walked home from the bus stop today. I remember walking up the sidewalk to the front door the first time with her in my arms, and then, the next morning, Kerry and I going out on the patio to read the paper and have tea and locking the baby alone in the house. The second she started to cry, he broke the window and climbed in to rescue her. It is sad tonight that so many of the people who were actively involved in welcoming and loving baby Joanna are dead. Joanna, however, thrives. happy birthday sweet daughter.