Well, things were rocking at the Bergs this past Sunday afternoon with a party to celebrate the 75th birthday of my father-in-law, Bob Gall – a celebration which came just two weeks after my dad’s party in Madison. (Kathy and I may just permanently wear party hats for the rest of 2007, so as to be better prepared for whatevever additional parties are in our immediate future.)
The photo appears to show me conducting our party guests in some sort of birthday serenade for my father-in-law. . . but no, I’m just yapping, and gesturing a lot with my hands to make it seem like my remarks were more prepared than they were. In fact, this photo depicts a largely off- the – cuff moment orchestrated by Mark and me in the midst of the party. If there’s anything I regret about my dad’s birthday event in Madison, it’s that we never took a moment during the music program to say anything about him very directly – a regret which he does not share, by the way. But for Bob’s celebration, I really wanted to make sure that something along that line happened. But because this was happening in our house and the Bergs and Amborns were basically generating all of the food and drinks for over a hundred guests, both Kathy and Polly had no interest in orchestrating any kind of mid-afternoon program on top of everything else. So, as usual, their loving and capable husbands swept in to save the day – (or something like that.)
What we did was this – right around 2:00, just as a couple of important guests were about to depart, Mark and I summoned everyone into the foyer, with Mark (holding Lorelai) and I standing up on the landing of the stairs. And Mark and I proceeded to say a very few words to the assembled throng about how great it was to be gathered together for this celebration. . . and about how much we both admire our father-in-law and appreciate the way in which he and his wife raised two such wonderful daughters, to whom we are privileged to be married, and how warmly we were welcomed into the Gall family as though we were Galls ourselves. We did it in sort of impromptu relay fashion, with me getting things rolling and then Mark taking over and winning the prize for heartfelt eloquence. And then, just to make certain that everyone walked away from this moment asking “who was that heavyset guy standing next to Mark on the landing?” Mark lifted Lorlelai up in his arms and in front of all of those people she sang “happy birthday” to her grandfather. It was sheer perfection- She was just shy enough to be adorable (I think little kids who seek out the spotlight and revel in it are such a pain) and yet drove her own shyness away enough that she could actually sing the song for her grandpa with all of these strangers looking on. It was priceless – and when all of us joined together in a second rendition, it seemed might coarse and raucous compared to that one single voice.
Anyway, that’s all it was. . . no trained seals, no laser light show, no 21-gun salute. . . just some words from the heart and two times through Happy Birthday. But the afternoon would have been incomplete without it.
Such fun we had. The guests just kept coming and coming and coming . . . with one couple showing up 35 minutes early because they had neglected to change their clocks and watches for daylight savings time. (I intercepted them before they reached our doorstep and sent them off to play at the mall; I think the sound of the doorbell in the midst of those frantic last minute preparations would have sent more than one person to the hospital with heart failure.) The throng included relatives, barbershoppers, former softball teammates, theater guild folks, former neighbors, and assorted friends. . . and once you added them all up it was once again clear that Bob Gall could run for the mayor of Racine and win in a landslide.
One of the special gifts he was given was a beautiful hardcover commemorative book about the Gall family, lovingly assembled by Linda Marler. All kinds of amazing photographs are included in it, plus a thoroughly written text which chronicles so much of the family’s history. It was a job well done and a lot of people found themselves fully absorbed in looking through that remarkable book. There was the exciting surprise – at least I think it was a surprise – when Kathy’s cousin Leslie from Michigan (and her husband) walked through the door. Those kind of surprises are the best kind! And mostly it was just great people who knew Bob in various ways, all under one roof – enjoying some great food and fellowship. And although there was the fancy fun of a chocolate fountain (I was camped out beside it for quite awhile) what made the afternoon so distinctive was WHO was there and WHY. I especially enjoyed watching Kathy and Polly work so smoothly together with such efficiency and calm. (I sometimes think they would be the two best people to dispatch to Baghdad to bring some order into that chaos.) And I would certainly be remiss if I didn’t say a special word of thanks to Kathy’s friend Kate Barrow, who was here all afternoon helping out in innumerable ways so Kathy and Polly could better enjoy the day. And Anneka was on Lorelai detail for most of the day – which of course ranks right up there with the most pleasurable of tasks.
Topping the list of people who were missing was, of course, my mother-in-law. . . how she would have loved this gathering! I wish my own mom had been around for my dad’s celebration. But certain chapters end, and often before we are ready for them to end. But we remember – and we rejoice that our lives have been filled to overflowing with great and inspiring people.