Birthday Thanks

May 2 is here and yours truly is another year older. Yes, it is my birthday. It is not quite 7:00 am and I have decided that I better write this before the festivities begin. Please note that last sentence was written with my tongue planted firmly in cheek.

For some a birthday is filled with adulation and the expectation of wonderful gifts and marvelous parties. This is true of not only of the young. I have an “ex-relative” who chooses to celebrate an entire birthday week for himself. If you knew Pat you would fully understand.

Others like to get together and reminisce about years past, the “good old days” if you will. This can be either warm and sentimental or just plain depressing. Either way, it is therapeutic in a sense.

Then there are those who choose to totally ignore the anniversary of their birth. They act as if pretending the day has no significance makes them some kind of stoic, hardened martyr. I think it just indicates a person who is afraid of admitting how old they have gotten.

Personally, I fall somewhere in between all of these groups. I am not overly fond of real big parties, but I do like to get together and reminisce. And hey, who doesn’t like a thoughtful card or perhaps a nice gift?

As I grow older I have developed an increased appreciation of things. I suppose it is natural to do this as you age. I also find myself being more much thankful. One thing that I am thankful for is angels. Using a column I wrote last year, I will attempt to explain.

For many, an angel has religious connotations. Whether the religion is Christianity, Judaism or Islam, an angel is a spiritual supernatural being. I personally believe in spiritual angels. However, the spiritual angel is not the only type that I am thankful for. Once again, let me explain.

The New Oxford American Dictionary provides the following definitions of angel:

1. A spiritual being believed to act as an attendant, agent, or messenger of God, conventionally represented in human form with wings and a long robe.

2. A person of exemplary conduct or virtue.

Based on those two definitions, I would hazard a guess that we all have some sort of angels to be thankful for. Think about it for a moment and I am sure that you will begin to identify the angels in your own lives.

They may be the spiritual type based on your religious beliefs. Being Catholic, growing up I learned about Raphael, Gabriel and Michael. Another concept taught was that of guardian angels. Yet another sort of spiritual angel could be a loved one that has passed on. In that respect, I am thankful for my late grandma, Ermalinda Vagnoni. She was an angel while here on earth and remains one to this day.

The second definition of angel provides for a wide range of possibilities. I am sure that growing up, all of us has had a teacher or a coach that made a difference in our young lives. Maybe they helped you with something you could not comprehend or helped developing a certain skill. Maybe they just helped you fit it. Now as adults, this angel may be someone that has had a similar impact on your child’s life.

An additional variety of angels are role models. Once again it could be a teacher or coach, but personally, my “role model” angels are relatives. Not necessarily any one in particular, but a combination of the qualities of many. For example, I am thankful for my parents. They have shown me how to love, care and respect others. Also the entire Vagnoni clan for demonstrating how important family is. Funny thing about Italians. Finally, in the category of role models, I am thankful for my aunt Terri in California for illustrating how significant it is to not only listen, but to understand.

Yes, both types of angels are there to help us. A case in point is the angels that helped my godson Alex survive the 2007 holiday season. The spiritual kind guided the earthly angels as they fought from December 8th to Christmas Eve to keep him alive. A ruptured AVM (arteriovenous malformation), resulting in hemorrhaging in his brain, had both sets of angels working overtime. I am extremely thankful for that.

Where would we be without our angels? Who really knows? I know that I am thankful for Dr. Alfred Habel for helping me to delay what is inevitable for all human beings. I don’t know if he would appreciate being called angel, but he surely qualifies as one.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention a very wonderful type of angel – the friend. My “friend” angels are all over the world. Literally. From Kenosha, Wisconsin to Farmington Hills, Michigan. From St. Paul Minnesota to San Juan Capistrano, California. I even have an angel with an English accent. They are all angels for various reasons. They are there for me without being asked. And I am thankful for each and every one of them.

I truly believe we all have angels in our lives, whether we know it or not. Maybe you have a different name or term for your angels, but they are still angels nonetheless. So be thankful for them. I am as I prepare to celebrate my 52nd birthday. Until next time…from the booth.