It’s my birthday and I’m writing this before sunrise. I don’t know why. I guess, like all aging people, I have changed over the years. I don’t sleep like I used to. Once upon a time I could fall asleep during a pep rally, but now I wake up hours before my neighbor’s deranged rooster, Virgil.
Virgil is a piece of work. He crows at odd hours. And once he starts crowing, he goes all day, no matter how many blunt objects are hurled at him. Virgil is one of those chickens who, when he looks at you with his two crazy eyes, you know he’s only got one oar in the water.
The first thing I do this morning is start the coffee on the stove. Then I listen for Virgil at the back door, but he isn’t up yet.
Thank God for birthday blessings.
To kick off my big day, I play my guitar, quietly, so I won’t wake my wife. The Folgers perks on the stove while I play “After You’ve Gone.” I’ve been picking a guitar since I was 9 years old, and in all that time I think I’ve actually managed to get worse.
The percolator starts bubbling. I put the guitar down and turn the coffee off.
This porcelain Corningware percolator was a wedding gift from my mother. I remember the day I got it. No sooner had I announced to Mama that I was getting married than she wrapped up her 1950s coffeepot in paper grocery bags and gifted it to me.
“You’ll need coffee if you’re gonna be married,” she said. And I nearly started crying because in that brief moment, before I left her home forever, life seemed so existentially real to me. I can’t explain it.
I pour a steaming cup then walk outside before sunrise.
On my porch I discover that it is colder than brass undergarments out here. I sit on my stoop, holding the mug with both hands, waiting for dawn. I’m replaying a few good birthday memories.
Like my sixth birthday, when my mother took me and my friends to the movies. Ten of us rode in a station wagon, piled upon each other’s laps, singing “John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt” in skull-cracking, shrill, kiddy voices. It’s a wonder my mother didn’t run into a telephone pole out of pure desperation.
Or there was the birthday my uncle gave me a guitar. I was so shocked when I received the instrument. Namely, because my uncle was a guy who was always flat broke. It was a low-level miracle that he could even afford strings.
Years later, I discovered that his money came from a lucky horse race. He said his prize horse had been named “Hoof Heartedly.” In the final heat, Hoof outran “Sotally Tober” and “Ohgoditsmymotherinlaw” in a photo finish.
The result was my warped pawnshop guitar. To me it was worth a million bucks. My uncle watched me untie the big bow and he fuzzed my hair. He told me that, hey, I might not turn out to be the best guitar player in the world, but if I stick with it I could certainly be the redheadest.
Then there was the birthday party my wife threw just 10 days after our wedding. It was a surprise party, and it was to become, perhaps, the most hellish experience of my human career.
Surprise parties are not my thing. I’m amazed I didn’t suffer a brainstem stroke when everyone in that dark living room leapt from their hiding places and shouted, “Happy birthday!” like crazed killers.
I turned white with shock and had to borrow a loaner pair of trousers from my cousin. The den was filled with 50 people all drinking beer and singing. The only problem was, I didn’t have 50 friends. So who were these folks? Who were these perfect strangers? I didn’t recognize a face.
“Who are all these people?” I asked my wife.
She hooked arms with me and said, “Just a few neighbors.”
“Neighbors? You invited neighbors we’ve never met to my birthday?”
She picked lint off my collar. “Remember your manners.”
So for the rest of the night I played the gracious host to several dozen squatters in my den, topping off their drinks, cleaning up carpet spills, and passing around trays of light hors d’oeuvres. Partygoers kept sidling up to me, cracking open fresh beverages, saying, “Now what was your name one more time?”
After that, I told my wife that if she ever wanted to surprise me again she can just push me into rush hour traffic.
The sun is rising now, and it’s a daybreak for the books. A flaming orange ball hoists itself above the tree line and I watch it expand until it becomes too bright to look at.
And I am thinking that this is already the best birthday I’ve ever had, simply because I’m still here. I’m still in this world. I haven’t kicked my oxygen habit yet. I still have a pulse. Or to be quite frank about it: I didn’t die last year.
Neither did any bad accidents befall me. Nor did any major disasters harm me. Many of my loved ones are still alive. The Braves are still playing baseball. Andy Griffith reruns are still in syndication. Queso dip still exists.
I can’t get over how fortunate I am. And even though I know fortune streaks don’t last, at least I’m here right now. At least right now there is a Right Now.
I realize this all sounds pretty corny, but I mean it. I could cry when I think about my painfully ordinary life. Because today it doesn’t feel painful, or ordinary. It feels so existentially real.
Annnnnd…
Now Virgil is awake.
129 comments
Lee J Hackett - December 30, 2020 6:16 am
Sean- you keep strange hours. But whatever works. I can’t wait till I can do the same! Keep writing!
Debbie Allen (Anna - December 30, 2020 6:25 am
Happy birthday to an awesome person & writer!!!
Sharon Brock - December 30, 2020 6:30 am
Happy birthday Sean. I started mine sitting in the dark (except for the Christmas lights which go up November 1). Great way to reflect. And because well, coffee.
Christina - December 30, 2020 6:37 am
Happ birthday Sean! Grateful for your daily columns, music, and big heart.
Barbara McDonald - December 30, 2020 6:37 am
Happy Birthday! 🎉🎂🎊🎈🎁
Janie F. - December 30, 2020 6:41 am
Happy Birthday Sean!!! Thank’s for making the world a better place and for touching hearts in the best way. I got one of your books for Christmas this year & it really tickled me. Can’t wait to read it.
Julie - December 30, 2020 6:42 am
Sean, may your Birthday be as Special as You, which means “over the top”, because that describes you best❣️ I thank God for the day you came into this world…you are making it a better place for all of us‼️
Steve Winfield (Lifer) - December 30, 2020 7:01 am
Gooood mmooorrnniiinnng Viiirrgiilll!!!
Susan Parker - December 30, 2020 7:26 am
Happiest of birthdays to you, Sean! Sip a second cup of coffee. And throw something at Virgil <3
Kathy Karsten - December 30, 2020 7:32 am
😷 🎉🎁🙏🐔
Happy Birthday fellow Capricorn!! I, too, have the pleasure of calling myself a “Capricorn”. Ah, yes, the goat that is sure footed climbing to the top of their world. Calm, level-headed, loyal, honest, intuitive, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. Does that describe you, too?
I’m a January baby born on the cusp of Aquarius; so I would venture to say that I have the traits of both signs.
I love exploring; visiting new places, learning new cultures and savoring some REALLY good food! I am blessed to have had the means to travel to all 50 states by the time I was 50! I worked for the City of Phoenix Fire Department as an Emergency Medical Communications Operator for 10 years which provided great vacation and sick leave benefits. I accumulated enough vacation time to be able to take 3,4 or even 5 weeks consecutively. In 1999, my husband, and I, took a fantastic trip from our home in Tempe, AZ, to Maine and back.
I’m very fortunate to look much younger than my age. At least, that’s what people tell me. I will be 67, in January, and I’m considering completely changing my life. How you ask? I grew up in Seattle (biking distance to Puget Sound), which had a very deep emotional effect on me. I love the ocean and the the beauty of the Pacific Northwest; currently living in Oregon. The scenery takes my breath away just about every day. I look up a lot because I’m a photographer and view things in the beauty of nature.
I live in a rural area and have a neighbor rooster that “does his thing”, all day long and very early at 3:00 A.M.!
I like hearing him every morning calling out to the rising sun!! 🐔🐣🐥🐓. Foghorn Leghorn
Dee Cullen - December 30, 2020 7:37 am
Good Morning Sean and Virgil!
Connie - December 30, 2020 8:09 am
Happy birthday Sean. Hope you have a wonderful day and a blessed year.
Leigh Amiot - December 30, 2020 8:28 am
Well good morning, Happy Birthday, and Happy New Year’s Eve Eve…been awake awhile myself, and yes, increasing years does seem to equal decreasing sleep some nights. With almost any complaint I might have, I often think of spiritual advice from the late Fr. John O’Brien, an Irish import to Georgia: “Deal wit’ it.”
There is a sacredness to the quiet of the wee hours, making up for any inconvenience of losing a little sleep. Or as a high school friend posted on social media, paraphrase, when the Lord wakes me up at this hour, who am I not to listen?
Tawanah Fagan Bagwell - December 30, 2020 9:04 am
Happy birthday Sean!
Liz and Mac Petty - December 30, 2020 9:29 am
Happy birthday!! We hope your day only gets better and better.
Sandi. - December 30, 2020 9:59 am
Happy Birthday to you, Sean! I hope it’s extra-special and that God blesses you with many more. For some reason I thought you had a November birthday, not December. Is the precise date Dec. 30th then? Stay safe, sane and happy!
Deb Canter - December 30, 2020 10:26 am
Happy birthday, Sean! I had to laugh when you talked about not being able to sleep well anymore – as I sit here at 4:23 a.m. And your column made we wish had a percolator instead of my fancy grind-and-brew coffee maker. Like you, I am so blessed to be alive – truly blessed. May you have many, many more existentially real birthdays and keep blessing all of us with your wisdom and humor!
Joan Busby - December 30, 2020 10:31 am
And it will be a warm, sunny day in the Florida Panhandle. Enjoy and Happy Birthday 🎉🎂🥳😷🌞🌞🌞
Meredith Smith - December 30, 2020 10:37 am
Happy birthday Sean! I hope the day brings you everything you could possibly wish for! (Yes, I know that’s incorrect grammar.) 🙄
Ann - December 30, 2020 10:38 am
Happy birthday, Sean
My wishes are for good health, a long wonderful marriage, continued sense of humor and many blessings from God🙏🏻❤️🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰🍰
Susan Johnson - December 30, 2020 10:50 am
You share a birthday with my son. I’ll take that as a good sign. Love the part about the coffee pot, and what your Mom had to say about marriage. As a long-married mom of two adult sons, I get all of that. Have a great birthday. Off to finish my coffee now. Peace out.
chris nischan - December 30, 2020 11:13 am
have a wonderful birthday! I will be duck hunting in the rain on Reelfoot lake….
nebraskannie - December 30, 2020 11:30 am
I don’t remember my birthdays. When I was 14 or so, I overheard a doctor saying I wouldn’t make it to the next one. Being stubborn, I had to prove him wrong. I quit celebrating birthdays, and started celebrating life days! Now I’m 67 and I count each morning as a gift and a miracle. There are a lot of reasons to be scared of the future, but I just look at it as one more challenge in life. Happy Birthday to you! I’m glad to know we’re awake together at this quiet hour…
Alison - December 30, 2020 11:33 am
Happy Birthday, Sean! I don’t know if you are familiar with the work of singer/songwriter Peter Mayer (not to be confused with the also-talented, but not the same, Peter Mayer who is -or was- the lead guitarist with Jimmy Buffet’s band). Minnesota Peter Mayer has a song called “Ordinary Day.” Here’s a YouTube link for the song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4Bxb1bxXCE). If you think you might enjoy other work by Pete (I think you guys would be kindred spirits), here’s his web site: https://www.petermayer.net/
Hope you have a great birthday and year ahead…
Te Burt - December 30, 2020 11:39 am
Happy Birthday! Yeah, except for Virgil, it sounds a lot like my birthday, only I don’t live in Florida so when I get up in February, it’s colder than that brass underwear. And yeah, the older you get, the earlier you get up. For a long time, it’s been 5 am, but a lot of that was because of the dogs. They’re getting older, too, it’s 5:30 now. I don’t think I’ve wakened in daylight more than twice in the last fifteen years. It’s really peaceful at that hour. Except for the dogs. And Virgil.
Suzanne Barrick - December 30, 2020 11:58 am
Happy happy birthday, Sean!! Hope you have a marvelous day!! Enjoy your writings. Praying that 2021 is a fabulous year for all of us!!🎂🎂🎂🎉🎉🎉🙏🏻
John Bates - December 30, 2020 11:59 am
Happy birthday!
Mary J Rouse - December 30, 2020 12:01 pm
Happy birthday! Have the best day. Virgil sounds like most roosters in our neighborhood including both of ours!
Irene Torres - December 30, 2020 12:14 pm
Happy happy birthday from a Queen without a country but a grateful one living lakeside.
Virginia Russell - December 30, 2020 12:16 pm
Happy Birthday 🎉🎉🎉
Terri - December 30, 2020 12:17 pm
Happy birthday Sean! Love you much.
Norma Den - December 30, 2020 12:25 pm
Happy birthday Sean from South Africa. May you be blessed with many more, each better than the last. God is good & will surely bless you for the joy your daily messages bring to so many folk all over the wide world.
Evelyn Boyette Reynolds - December 30, 2020 12:25 pm
Happy Birthday Sean, sounds like you have something to crow about. Enjoy this day that was made especially for you!
Belinda Crowell - December 30, 2020 12:31 pm
Sean, happy birthday, my friend!🎉💐🎈🎂🎁! I feel like we’re friends cause I read about your life everyday so I feel like I know you. Thank you for those daily short stories that I can’t wait to read. You’re special Sean, and don’t ever forget that! Here’s to many more happy birthdays!
Belinda Crowell
TJ - December 30, 2020 12:45 pm
Happy Birthday, Sean,
At 75 I am just happy to be alive.
As a young friend reminded me, it is better to be over the hill than under it.
Cheers,
TJ
Tammy S. - December 30, 2020 12:47 pm
Chris Nischan, enjoy the views on Reelfoot!! I grew up a pastors daughter living all over West Tennessee. Dad pastored Troy First Baptist, Troy, TN for the best parts of my youth. We use to go to Reelfoot often and it is Gorgeous!! Love the trees in the water with the big root bases. Great memories from that area!!! And great fishing….Enjoy and hope you catch a big one!!
Tammy S. - December 30, 2020 12:56 pm
Happy Birthday, Sean!! If Jamie threw a party, invited everyone you “knew”….well, she’d need a really, REALLY big house!! You have touched the lives of so many more than 50 people! I hope your birthday is as special as you are! Or as special as Jamie knows you are. Either way, it should be super special. From my husband and I, we love you, man, and thankful for you and your many God-given gifts!
Thank you for being a friend!!!
🎉🎈🎁🍕🍔🥓🍺🍻🎂🥧☕️🍺🍻
Jana - December 30, 2020 12:59 pm
Have a very happy and blessed birthday! I can’t wait until you are able to tour again. You cancelled just prior to my being able to see you in Georgia.
Denise - December 30, 2020 1:00 pm
Happy Birthday! Enjoy your special day! And I ditto what Belinda Crowell said in her comment!!!!
Susan Forte - December 30, 2020 1:06 pm
Happy Birthday, Sean (and Virgil)! Thanks for reminding me how fortunate I am!
Josie McCamish - December 30, 2020 1:08 pm
Happy Birthday, Sean! You are looking mighty fine on the cover of Nashville Christian Family magazine. Do you need another copy?
Nancy - December 30, 2020 1:09 pm
Happy Birthday Sean! Hope your day is filled with love, laughter and lots of cake and ice cream!
https://www.americangreetings.com/pickup?rr=y&m=&token=r6eb13dcb-a2d2-4b44-a829-a2af15d7e3e5&pn=prod3438084&utm_medium=pickup&utm_source=share&utm_campaign=receiver
Donna K. Taylor - December 30, 2020 1:21 pm
Happy Day of Birth- hope the rain holds and the breezes blow, and the stoop is dry and warm as you and your wife enjoy an equally gorgeous sunset after an inexplicably delightful day. And Happy New Year.
Melanie - December 30, 2020 1:21 pm
Happy Birthday Mr Sean ! How wonderful to spend your day right where many people would travel from afar to visit. My birthday was yesterday! From one forgotten too-close-to-Christmas December baby to another … “here is your Christmas/birthday/Valentines Day/Easter present”! 😁😆🤣😬 🛍🎁🧸🛍🎁.
Libbie - December 30, 2020 1:25 pm
Happy, happy birthday, Sean! Make it a great day!
Elgin Clark - December 30, 2020 1:30 pm
Happy birthday Sean!
Alison - December 30, 2020 1:40 pm
Happy Birthday Sean!!!
BJ Smith - December 30, 2020 1:45 pm
QuesoMama queso from Costco is the best! I wish I could bring you some for your birthday! Please try it.
Tracey Walling - December 30, 2020 1:48 pm
Happiest Birthday! I hope you receive back a lovely measure of the beautiful blessings you bestow on your readers day after day. You deserve it!
Mary Lou Griffin - December 30, 2020 1:49 pm
Happy, happiest birthday Seán. You may be having the birthday but we get the gift of you. Thank you for sharing you with us. And thank you to mom too.
BettyF - December 30, 2020 1:52 pm
So is your birthday the 29th or the 30th? Have a wonderful day and for our sakes as well as yours and Jamie’s have many more. You are a blessing. 🎉🎂🎉
Judy Mercer - December 30, 2020 1:52 pm
Have a very Happy Birthday, Sean! Thanks for each gift you give us daily with your writings!
Judy M.
Christina - December 30, 2020 1:54 pm
Dear Sean, Happy birthday! May today and every day be filled with joy. I had to smile to myself a little discovering that you’re a Capricorn (too).
In this impossible year, you were there for everyone. Honest and raw, and happy and resilient. Thank you for sharing your writing.
Mary Adamy - December 30, 2020 1:57 pm
Happy Birthday! Have an awesome day 🎂🥳🎈
Nancy M - December 30, 2020 1:58 pm
Happy Birthday, Sean! Thank you for your columns, your books, and your live performances!
I am a December “baby” too.
Have a great day!
Linda Wunderly - December 30, 2020 1:59 pm
Happy, happy birthday, Sean. Thank you for always finding the good in ordinary daily life and people (despite the media’s attempts to convince us those things either do not exist or are few and far between). In a year when the news has been bleak, you have brought smiles to our faces and always started our mornings off on such a positive note. I hope you have an incredible day!!
Cynthia - December 30, 2020 2:03 pm
🎉🎂 Wishing you a truly Happy Birthday, Sean! May Virgil stop crowing by Noon and may you have The Most Wonderful Year ahead 😊. It is also my Nephews Birthday… #35 for him I believe 😀 Blow out those candles and enjoy the cake! 😘
Cynthia - December 30, 2020 2:04 pm
Hey, Sean,
My birthday was yesterday — so HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! I didn’t get up before the crack of dawn like you but I did survive 2020 (so far) and I am in relatively good health. I have a great family and church family, too. So many blessings that we take for granted sometimes. Love your writing (which adds to my enjoyment of my life). Hope the rest of your birthday is as great as the beginning.
Sarah - December 30, 2020 2:19 pm
Happy birthday!
Nana - December 30, 2020 2:26 pm
Happy Birthday! Hope you can catch a nap this afternoon! 💤
Nena M - December 30, 2020 2:27 pm
Happy Birthday, Sean! I hope your day is extra blessed.
Heather Miller - December 30, 2020 2:28 pm
Happy happy birthday, Sean!! I’m so glad you are on this side of the grass…stay that way, and in good health and humor.
Suzanne Moore - December 30, 2020 2:36 pm
Happy birthday,Sean!
Dana King - December 30, 2020 2:45 pm
God danced the day you were born- you’re a gift to this world and so many of us are blessed to have you in it! Happy Belly Button Day!
Diane White - December 30, 2020 2:55 pm
Happy Birthday!!!!
Bkr - December 30, 2020 2:56 pm
What a good gift God gave all of us when you were born. You’ve brightened so many lives especially mine sooooo many times. Happy birthday and I love the word existentially!
Kathy Snell - December 30, 2020 3:02 pm
Happy Birthday, Sean! My birthday was the 27th of December! I turned 61 and don’t even know how THAT happened! I love reading your stories, but today got caught up in trying to pronounce existentially! I said it so many times, even tried to get my husband to say it. How in the heck do you say it? 😅
Have a great day!
Pat Morgan - December 30, 2020 3:02 pm
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Sean, and many more!
NancyB. - December 30, 2020 3:03 pm
Praying your special day is one of the best ever and that the year ahead is blessed beyond measure! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Sean!🎂🍨💙🐓🌺🌺🐓💙🍨🎂
Patricia Gibson - December 30, 2020 3:04 pm
Happy Birthday 🎂🎁🎊 Mine was yesterday!
Angie Bell - December 30, 2020 3:04 pm
Today is also my grandson’s birthday – he is now 11. I’m glad to know ya’ll share a birthday. I just FaceTimed with him while he opened his gift from me. A book . Not just because I’m a retired teacher but because he is an avid reader and loves the show “Stranger Things”, so now he has the prequel. So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to two of my favorite Floridian boys!!
Kay Keel - December 30, 2020 3:04 pm
Happy Birthday Sean! Your story about Virgil made me choke on my coffee. Thankfully if had cooled some… Enjoy your day!
Tim Peace - December 30, 2020 3:05 pm
Happiest of birthdays to you Sean.
Blessings!
Brenda Stone - December 30, 2020 3:07 pm
Happy birthday ! Have a blessed day 🎁🎉
John Steinbach - December 30, 2020 3:09 pm
Happy Birthday, Sean. And may your streak of fortune last another 100 years!
And you’re right: right now we all have a Right Now. It’s all we ever really have. We all have our memories and our dreams, but right now is where it’s at.
Say hello to Virgil!
MermaidGrammy - December 30, 2020 3:09 pm
Happy Birthday! Enjoy it as much as you have given us so much to enjoy. I’ll have my 77th birthday in two days (New Year’s “baby”) and plan on enjoying the day as you have done. We love you, birthday 🎂 boy!
Carter Anthony - December 30, 2020 3:13 pm
And noooowwww the next one is the most important! I enjoy your mornings.
Alice Talley - December 30, 2020 3:18 pm
Happy Birthday Sean!
May your blessings always outnumber your birthday candles🎂❤️
You’ve sure been a daily blessing to me during this crazy year. So thankful for you!
kathleenivy - December 30, 2020 3:27 pm
Happy Birthday Sean! Thank you for sharing your memories with us. (And tell Virgil I say “Hi”) I too am very grateful to be here. My daughter saved my life this past November by insisting that I put my childhood training aside and go to the emergency room. (I just wanted to go to bed and see if I felt better in the morning. If I had then I would not be here.) Thank you so much for being here too and writing your thoughts to share with us. Wishing you a blessed and wonderful 2021!
Kay Morgenthaler - December 30, 2020 3:37 pm
Happy Birthday, Hope it’s the best one yet!
Caret - December 30, 2020 3:46 pm
Happy birthday day, Sean. Your positivity and sometimes naivitete make a HUGE Difference in how i start my day. It’s your gift. They come in strange packages so keep doing what the Lord meant you do and spread hope and happiness. I wish you were in Colorado. I’d do my darndest to make sheese str,,biscuits and pimento cheese for you !
Betsy - December 30, 2020 3:47 pm
Happy birthday, Sean! Finding your column has been one of the bright spots in 2020. Please keep up the good work. You are really making a difference!
Karen Arramt - December 30, 2020 3:49 pm
Happy Birthday! Thanks for keeping “it” real! God is Good!
Martha - December 30, 2020 3:51 pm
Happy Birthday! I read your writing every morning as I have my coffee. I appreciate the light you bring into my life. I love your humanity. Thank you for your incredible gift.
Sheila G - December 30, 2020 4:13 pm
Happy, happy birthday from Seattle, Sean. Still dark out here, nary a rooster to be heard, but when I was growing up here we had chickens and a rooster, rabbits, and a huge vegetable garden. I love the sound of a rooster taking charge of the day and also a train sounding its presence in the middle of the night. Thank you for blessing this old progressive Christian with your amazing insights on life. May you enjoy this day, knowing how much inspiration you give away to all of us every day. Life is truly a gift.
Ted - December 30, 2020 4:34 pm
Happy Birthday Sean!! We are so grateful for you and your daily writings..
Raydene L Kelly - December 30, 2020 4:42 pm
Happy Birthday young man, I read you daily….you always brighten my day!
Jo Downs - December 30, 2020 4:53 pm
Happy Birthday Sean! Your comment about “I haven’t kicked my oxygen habit yet” and “I still have a pulse” is very true! Instead of thinking what you don’t have, there is what you do….namely you! Enjoy your Folgers and your day! ~ Jo Downs
Debbie g - December 30, 2020 5:24 pm
Happy birthday Sean. The world is a better place with you in it
Mary Ann Gilbert - December 30, 2020 5:30 pm
Happy birthday, Sean! I look forward your daily offerings the same as a treasured call from one of my 4 brothers! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and heart with us!❤️
Linda Moon - December 30, 2020 5:36 pm
I knew a piece of work named Virgil. He was not a rooster but was likely deranged. Virgil’s son, whom I love, has gotten considerably worse over time with the guitar-picking. I try not to listen. My recent birthday has allowed me to not die during the previous year (so far). I’m glad you’ve joined me in this existence called LIFE, Sean, with no explanations needed. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
elainenkarrh - December 30, 2020 5:37 pm
Wishing you the happiest of Birthdays,Sean!! I,for one,are thrilled that you are still around for another birthday,and hope that you and Jamie have a fabulous 2021!! Love when you talk about your percolator coffee pot from your mother.Nothing better than coffee from a percolator.I would give anything to have my grandmothers…..
Sheryl Harold - December 30, 2020 5:37 pm
Happy, happy birthday, Sean! On a day that gifts should come to you, you bring the gifts of humor and perspective to me with your words and stories. Thank you for sharing your memories and the reminder of gratitude for everyday blessings. Thank you for making me laugh out loud today and many other days. May you feel extra celebrated and loved today and in your new year. Best wishes to you for blessings, health & happiness, and many thanks!
Karen Johnson - December 30, 2020 5:42 pm
Happy Birthday Sean! Every day starts right reading your stories… Just gets my head straight for the day. Thank you!
Jenny Young - December 30, 2020 5:50 pm
Happy Birthday Sean. I hope it’s full of all your favorite things.
Bill - December 30, 2020 6:01 pm
Bless Virgil. Even he has a place in this world. Someone has to get us started each day. Savory it. Tomorrow and the next are all that remains in 2020. I look forward to better days cause I’m alive.
Bill - December 30, 2020 6:03 pm
It’s Bill again.Happy Birthday, Sean
Lois - December 30, 2020 6:23 pm
Happy Birthday! Hope your day is great!!
Jane - December 30, 2020 6:41 pm
The happiest of birthdays, Sean! I look forward each day to opening my email to see what you have penned for us that day. May you and Jamie be as blessed as you have bestowed blessings on others. We truly do reap what we sow and I’d say that you are reaping many wonderful blessings because you’ve sure sown a lot of them. Hanging in there with you and rest of the COVID world, thankful for every breath!
AlaRedClayGirl - December 30, 2020 7:03 pm
Happy Birthday, Sean! I’m so glad you were born, and thank you for being the wonderful person you are. Happy 2021 to you, Jamie, and the puppies!
Till Tranzow - December 30, 2020 7:23 pm
Hey Sean! Happy Birthday!! Today is my husbands 84th birthday(and Tiger Woods😂)…but here’s the interesting thing…I think that your wife and I also share a birthday…October 26th! …I turned 82. (Hillary Clinton’s BD😂) we just celebrated 60 years of marriage….so I just wish that you and your wife will enjoy many more years together as we have! It goes by quickly..God Bless you both, and Happy New year!
Sheri K - December 30, 2020 7:28 pm
Dearest Sean, you are amazing! All I can say is have a very blessed birthday! 🎉🎉 We love you (as you can tell by all these well wishers) and thank you for being our friend! What a blessing you are to soooo many! Again, happy birthday and new year too!!
Teresa - December 30, 2020 7:38 pm
Happy Birthday Sean!
MAM - December 30, 2020 7:46 pm
Happy Birthday, Sean! And I laughed out loud at your last line. Our neighbors used to have a rooster until many of us complained and they explained they got it as a chick and didn’t know it was a rooster until it became one. They stick with hens now, thank goodness!
Vickie Taylor - December 30, 2020 7:50 pm
Birthday blessings Dear Sean! In a year of challenges, finding your blogs and reading them daily has been a true blessing. 2020 has been a struggle. And it isn’t ending well. My Dear FIL is in the hospital with COVID. And unbeknownst to him he exposed my entire family. As we quarantine and wait for our results I find peace on all of the silver linings. Thank you for being one. May the coming year being you nothing but joy and blessings.
Elizabeth - December 30, 2020 7:53 pm
Happy Birthday, Sean! Hope the rest of your day was as wonderful as that start!
Tkeene - December 30, 2020 8:33 pm
Happy Birthday! I’m always grateful for hot water, hot coffee & heat in the winter, air conditioning in the summer -things I didn’t always have when I was young-any day I start with these is a good day -birthday or otherwise!
Thressa Giles Wood - December 30, 2020 8:43 pm
If you like orange fireball daybreaks perhaps you could join Alabama the Beautiful on Facebook to enjoy the sunrises and sunsets that people from all over Alabama have photographed, the most noteworthy orange fireball sunrises are from where?? You guessed it!!
Orange Beach, Alabama!!!! <3
Thressa Giles Wood - December 30, 2020 8:45 pm
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SEAN!!!
If you like orange fireball daybreaks perhaps you could join Alabama the Beautiful on Facebook to enjoy the sunrises and sunsets that people from all over Alabama have photographed, the most noteworthy orange fireball sunrises are from where?? You guessed it!!
Orange Beach, Alabama!!!! <3
Pat McNeill - December 30, 2020 10:37 pm
Happy Birthday Sean!! At 77, I feel as you do; “at least, there is a right now”!! My family has 2 roosters, Jim Bob (a little black bantam) and Mr. Bingley (a classic full sized specimen). When they get started in the morning, it is quite an awakening noise!! Blessings from Olympia, WA.
Ingrid Whigham - December 30, 2020 10:52 pm
Happy birthday, Sean! Every day is a “birthday gift.”
Jackie Lavin - December 30, 2020 11:23 pm
Happy birthday you incredibly sweet beautiful kind man. Wishing you many more happy healthy fun years.
Till Tranzow - December 30, 2020 11:44 pm
Hi Sean! Happy Birthday! Today is my husbands 84th birthday, but the interesting thing is that my 82nd birthday is October 26th, that I think is your wife’s birthday! We just celebrated 60 years of marriage..and it has all gone by so fast….I wish you both will have many more happy days as we have had. Oh, and by the way, today is Tiger Woods birthday 😀God bless you, and thank you for all of your wonderful messages..I can’t wait to see what each day brings!❤️
Tammy O'Connor - December 30, 2020 11:48 pm
Sean, im so glad you were born! You are one of the best gifts 2020 gave me! You have brought my sweet neighbor and me closer (she introduced me to you!) And I introduced you to my aunt…while we talked about you at dinner her granddaughter asked who we were gushing over…we told her and she said she met you in her Lit. Class at AUM in Montgomery!
You then became a bridge of love between generations. Yep, im sure glad you are on this planet and I hope you have had one of the bests days yet…cause there’s next year to look forward to.♡♡♡
Joy Voellinger - December 31, 2020 12:26 am
Birthday blessings! I’m glad you were born.
Chasity Davis Ritter - December 31, 2020 1:56 am
Happy birthday Sean!!
Barbara Jones - December 31, 2020 2:18 am
You’re the best! I love what is in your head and heart! Thank you for sharing your talent with us! I love each piece.
Happy birthday! Sand Happy New Year!
Barbara J
PS. Today is my birthday too-ordinarily a crummy time to have a birthday but not this year! Great way to end 2020!
Joy Dollar - December 31, 2020 2:38 am
Happy Birthday, Sean! Today is our anniversary…40 years! By the way, we met on December 20th, 1980 and married December 30th, 1980, and 40 years later we are still together, going strong😊 just trying to stay safe and well, like everyone else. I hope you and your sweet wife, have a truly blessed NEW Year 2021! God bless you!
Susan Kennedy - December 31, 2020 3:00 am
Happy Birthday Sean!! 🎂🎈
Berryman Mary M - December 31, 2020 3:09 am
Happiest of Birthdays, Sean! May we all be ever grateful for another day!
Gail Frego - December 31, 2020 3:42 am
Happy Birthday to you Sean! Today is my birthday too. I am now 66 years old. I thank God for every new day when I wake up. I hope you do too. Best regards. GAIL FREGO from Fairhope, AL
Linda Woodell - December 31, 2020 4:04 am
Fun to share a birthday with someone whose words I enjoy reading daily! Tomorrow we start another trip around the sun – can’t wait! Enjoy the trip Sean.
elizabethroosje - December 31, 2020 4:06 am
Happy birthday Sean! (it was my birthday yesterday! 🙂 ) God bless you. I am really glad you are right here and Jamie too. God keep you and all those you love.
Sandra Grooms - December 31, 2020 5:49 am
Happy Birthday Sean! You bring moments of joy and gratitude to my days! Thanks! Wish you and Jamie bucketfuls of blessings in 2021!
Kathleen Jun Magyar - December 31, 2020 6:50 am
You do such lovely slices of life. And I think Virgil lived by us too. Any time of day or night….
trrri hinds - December 31, 2020 3:57 pm
happy birthday, sean🎈🎉💕
Diana - December 31, 2020 8:25 pm
A day late but HAPPY BIRTHDAY from Kansas! Found your blog a couple weeks ago and really enjoy your stories and humor. Have a great new year full of many blessings!
Melia - January 2, 2021 10:27 pm
I’m glad you’re still here too. 😁 I hope you had a very happy birthday ALL DAY LONG!
Melia - January 2, 2021 10:30 pm
P.S. Have a blessed New Year, Sean. Thank you for your words…they are a gift to the world.