April 18, 2009
Fifty one Years Ago
Fifty one years ago today a beautiful, young and very pregnant woman gave birth to a baby boy. She and her husband (the boy’s father) loved the boy and cared for him like good parents do. They gave him food and shelter and love. They made sure that he was brought up in a Christian home. Every Sunday they took him to church. In fact, the boy cannot ever remember just sleeping in on a Sunday.
He grew up big and strong and one day he left and started a life of his own. Eventually, the boy had children of his own and in the process of caring for his own children, he began to understand some of the difficulties that come with being a parent. Now that his children are all on their own, the boy has a depth of thankfulness that he could never have experienced as a youngster. There’s just no way to explain those kinds of things to a little guy. He doesn’t have the years of experience. He only has what experience he has lived. As much as the parents want him to learn from their experience, there are so very many limitations on that kind of understanding. The boy learns best from his own experience… the hard way!
Now, the boy is a grandparent and more thankful than ever! As he looks back from his 51 year old perspective, he wants to say, thank you to his parents. Thanks for giving him life. Thanks for taking care of him, loving him and doing your best to shape him into the person God made him to be. He knows that he has let you down many times. He remembers hurting you. He wishes he could redo so many things from the past. Alas, he understands better than ever how this show only has one performance with no rehearsals.
Despite all his regrets, the boy is happy. He is glad to be alive and glad to be who he is. Sure, there are many things he would like to change, but when he is honest, he realizes that there is no one else in the entire world that he would rather be. I think that’s pretty cool.
Jimazing Thoughts 
erin said,
April 18, 2009 at 3:44 am
Happy Birthday! I love those old pictures of M’lou and Pepa. They are so in love. It’s precious.
Uncle/Brother said,
April 18, 2009 at 12:05 pm
I think, if I were your parent, I would be wonderfully proud to call you ‘mine’. Happy Birthday, NB.
John said,
April 18, 2009 at 6:16 pm
Fifty one years ago a baby was born. That baby grew to a boy and the boy became a man. I met that man, I got to know him and we became friend. We became good friends and then better friends. Then one day I realized we were best friends. Yes, that baby who became a boy an then a man is Jim Anderson. I have the privilege of calling Jim Anderson my best friend. Jim is amazing – he has an amazing personality – jimazing. Jim has an incredible heart. He is astoundingly gifted and creative. I speak for myself when I say, “Jim is a great friend.” But but I know others would say (and they know who they are – Jim does too) that Jim is a great husband, father, brother, son, cousin, nephew, uncle, neighbor, team member, employee, old friend, new friend aquaintance, child of God.
Thank you, Jim, for being who you are. I love you. Happy Birthday, my friend!
DAD said,
April 22, 2009 at 1:41 am
Pretty neat story I think I know the people you were talking about. I remember we were coming in to Port Everglades FL, USS Shadwell LSD-15 and you were born about the same time the first lines hit the pier. I hitch-hiked home 650 miles in 16-5 hrs to charleston you were a day old before I saw you. You looked like my granpa Anderson except smaller. You have been a pretty good son except when you hid you home work behind the piano or wiped out on the new dirt bike into an electric barbed wire fence. O well such is life. Love DAD