Turning "88"

As we begin to age, we all wonder what age we will live to.  Will I be in good health; will I be in sound mind; will I be alone.....?  There are so many things that we wonder about.

Just this week, my dad turned "88".  He is of sound mind. He sees very well(he can spot a bird in the far distance). He is pretty much in good health.  He has his cane that assists him in getting around.  Really the only obstacle in his life is his hearing.  He is 95% deaf.  Even with hearing aids, it is hard for him to understand what you are saying.

In the past few months, I attended a funeral and the obituary read that the family was going to celebrate the life of the deceased.  It is great to be celebrating one's life after they die, but why don't we celebrate people's lives while they are still alive.

With dad's "88th" birthday approaching, I thought it would be nice to have family and friends celebrate dad's life by sending him a birthday card and writing a note inside.  I texted, phoned and e-mail friends and asked if they would send my dad a card.  I let them know that dad's life pretty much consists of daily going to Starbuck's, waiting for the mail and sitting outside to look at the squirrels and birds.  Everybody was excited about sending dad a card and putting a smile on his face. 

On dad's birthday, he had received about sixty-six cards, but by the end of the week, he had the 88 cards.  In some of the cards, a Starbuck gift card was included.  That really put a smile on his face.  Friends and family have texted me and wanted to know if he had received the 88.  There are a lot of good people in our society that want to do something for someone, if they just knew. 

What has been interesting to me is that "88" is an important birthday, especially in the Japanese culture.  My friends from Tokyo were visiting me when I was sending cards to dad.  They let me know that the celebration of one's 88th birthday is very important in Japan.  It is known as beiju or "yone-no-iwai".  The Japanese character for "88" when written together resemble the character for "rice".  Rice had a special place in the Japanese society as it was their main food; their livelihood and denoted purity and wholesomeness.

I also learned that in the Chinese culture, "88" symbolizes fortune and good luck.  The number 8 is considered to be the luckiest number in Chinese culture and prices in Chinese supermarkets often contain many 8s.

With dad turning 88 and receiving 88 cards, I do believe this will be a great year for him!