True, the gift arrived a day late, but it was worth the wait.  On Friday, February 15^th an eight pound, nine ounce bundle of joy was added to our little family and welcomed by myriad aunts, uncles and cousins.  Through the years she continued to be a source of pride and to bring much happiness into our lives.

In 2015, MY belovED wrote the following for a memoirs class he was taking at Osher.  It was titled   MY VALENTINE 

         Fifty years ago while everyone was caught up with the “British Invasion”—the Beatles—and other life-changing events of that ilk,  I was married with two little children, commuting by bus each day from our little apartment in Bayonne to my entry level job at Citibank in Manhattan.

          In an effort to advance my career, I took advantage of my employer’s tuition reimbursement program and enrolled in evening classes at Rutgers College.  I liked the business subjects—very practical and applicable to my way of life—but the curriculum required liberal arts as well, so I took an English Lit class which covered different forms of writing.  Over Valentine’s weekend our assignment was to write a poem in a style and on a subject of interest to us.

        That weekend happened to be our daughter Stephanie’s first birthday and we were having family and friends over to celebrate.  Not much time for composing a work of literary genius.   Well, I’m not a poet, and I know it, but here is what I wrote (with some help from my wife):

ODE TO STEPHANIE ON HER FIRST BIRTHDAY 

You were a Valentine for me, though coming one day late.                                                                                                 

 The Lord was probably so busy, He just confused the date.

He chose you from among cherubs around his throne. 

Your sparkling eyes are two sapphires he polished ‘til they shone.

Your golden curls eclipse the sun, your mirth and fun abound. 

Choirs of angels singing gave your voice its sound.

The lovely petals of a rose were used to mold your face;

He filled the spirit of your soul with vitality and grace .

 A brilliant sunbeam became your smile, a gurgling brook your laugh.   

You’ve been here so short a while, but what joy on my behalf!

Though I can’t give you all I would if I ruled all this sphere, 

I wish you everything that’s good, my joy, my daughter dear.        .

The professor graded it a “B” and added the comment “A bit trite and sappy”.  Oh Well.

Five decades have passed.  I don’t remember the teacher’s name, but my daughter has grown into a bright and beautiful woman, compassionate and considerate, an orthopaedic surgeon with a successful practice and two bright and beautiful daughters of her own.  I may have gotten a B for that poem, but for a daughter I got an A+.

                                                                                                                                                                    Ed O’Connell    2/15/15 

Stephanie shares the birthday with Susan B. Anthony who lived  in Rochester, NY, for forty years while she was a national figure in the women’s rights movement.  She was arrested in the front parlor of her home at 19 Madison Street after attempting to vote in  the 1872 Presidential Election and resided there until her death.  The house was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1965.

The two also had similar philosophies:   “I think the woman who is able to earn her own living and pay her own way should be as happy as anybody on earth. The sense of independence and security is very sweet” and “Failure is not an option.” (Susan B. Anthony)

“She believed she could, and she did.” (R.S.Grey)

In closing, I want to add the following lines to the poem:

          You’ve been a source of pride and joy throughout the years; 

         And if you’ve ever made my cry, it has been with happy tears.

          Best wishes for a fulfilling life.  May all your dreams come true. 

         God blessed me with you for a daughter, and I Love You!