The Kindness of Friends

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On Thursday, March 8th my father in law turned 70 years old.  He has battled Parkinson's for over 25 years.  It was determined that Parkinson's was a result of his tour in Vietnam in the 1960's.  About two years ago we had to uproot him from  his home in Lake Charles, LA and place him in an assisted living facility near us.  Bless his heart, he didn't like it much but knew that he could not continue living alone in a city so far away from his sons.  He needed someone to look after him and his affairs.  My father in law is not a complainer and always seems to see the brighter side of things.  He has battled a debilitating disease for so many years and is still able to keep his smile and joking manner about him.

With his birthday quickly approaching and no new friends in Houston I could not let it pass by without some type of celebration.  I quickly emailed some favorite neighbors and asked that they please come and celebrate John's dad's 70th Birthday.  One couple never had met Castle but the response was heart warming.  I tear up just thinking how these folks without hesitation were happy to come over and wish Castle a very happy birthday.




  Several times after the celebration, my father in law kept telling me what a great time he had and what fantastic neighbors we are surrounded by.  I could not have agreed more.  He loved candy and received so many bags of it for his birthday that he had some for breakfast the next day!

Thank you friends for your compassion, your graciousness and most of all for being part of our lives!


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