February 11, 1977 – When my son, Jeremy, was born I phoned my father from the hospital to give him the news. The baby was his first grandchild and my dad said something unintentionally funny.
“A boy, great! Our name will continue.”
“Dad,” I replied, “Williams is the third most common name in the English language. The name is safe.” We both laughed. It was one of those special moments between a father and son that I knew I would remember forever.
28 years and ten days later my son had a son and today is his 19th birthday. It’s a big day for him, bigger than he realizes.
I’ve always thought moms deserve the annual birthday celebrations for having done the physical and emotional work. Creating a human inside of yourself is quite literally an unimaginable miracle.
Fathers are bound to their children, too, but physically less so. We have to work a little harder at finding our way into the spiritual connection mothers create naturally.
“My father didn’t tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it.” – Clarence Budington Kelland
Parents and grandparents talk a lot about how quickly time passes. It’s true but what we don’t acknowledge often enough is that the time we’ve spent with our children and grandchildren, fast as it seems to pass, is also infinite.
I’m 72 and I think often of my grandfathers, though I wish I knew them better. I marvel at the similarities between us. I appreciate the lessons they taught me through their sons and daughters.
My father died 22 years ago but I think of him daily. He is still my hero but I couldn’t tell you why. We just have that bond.
“A father’s love is like your shadow, though he is dead or alive, he will live with your shadow” – P.S. Jagadeesh Kumar
Tyler Goold Williams, I love you for your birth, for who you’ve become since, and for who you will yet be. I celebrate each day of your existence. I wish I could hug and laugh with you more often. I hope we’ll spend more time getting to know each other but I assure you this: you are the result of thousands of generations of mothers and fathers who loved one another deeply. You belong in the chain of families whose love created you.
Through all of that, through all of time past and future, you are the only Tyler Goold Williams who has or will ever exist.
That’s why we celebrate birthdays.
Be happy, stay healthy. Live your life as you wish it to be.
Love, Grandpa
PS. Call us sometime. The phone works both ways, ya know.