The 31st Anniversary... of my 29th Birthday

Well, this week sometime I am celebrating the 31st anniversary of my 29th birthday. If you do your math, you will figure out that I'm hitting 60!

I wonder how this happened. I don't feel this old. In my mind I still think of myself as 23. That is the age that pops up when asked how old I am. That is how old I was when I married Hugsum.

The tricky thing about my birthday is that I really don't know when it is. You see, I have 2 birth certificates. One is for the 7th and the other is for the 9th. However, I have always celebrated the 8th. That is when Mama said I was born. (after all, she was there)

Now, on the 7th certificate, my middle name is spelled wrong. On the 9th, my first name is spelled wrong. All of my legal documents are for the 8th.... with the correct spelling.

This never caused me any problems when I was young - except in school when the teachers never believed me that my birthday was on the 8th and made me wait until the 9th to celebrate. (Because that was the birth certificate that they had.) Mama just said they were wrong and didn't know what they were talking about. She assured me that my birthday was really on the 8th.

I know that at one time I had a birth certificate with the 8th and both names spelled correctly. However, there is not one anywhere to be found at this time in my life.

One birthday a few years ago Daddy sent me a card and he said that he remembered the day I was born. He was at the hospital and the doctor had not made it yet. I decided to come on out and so he actually delivered me. It was very special because back then, husbands were not allowed anywhere around the delivery. Then he went on to say that after I was born, he cleaned up and went on to church and preached. ( He is a Methodist preacher.)

I decided to see what day I was born and sure enough, the October 9, 1949 was on a Sunday!

I don't mind telling you that it shook me to the core. I was really confused. All these years (it was 55 by then) I had been celebrating my birthday on the 8th - only to find out I was born on the 9th!

So, what did that mean? Is my driver's license invalid? ...how about my marriage license and my school records and my passport????? How in the world am I going to go back and have all this fixed?

I went to the county of my birth and requested a birth certificate. Yep... it came back with the 9th. I asked them to please check for the 7th and 8th... nope - nothing.

I have carried this secret for 5 years. I'm about to reach the age of drawing social security (if it is still around in 2 years). How am I going to prove who I am and that I truly did pay into it?

I still don't know why the confusion on my birthday. I know that I am the 3rd child, but....

Having been celebrating being a "Saturday's child has to work for a living" all my life I should be thankful to be "Sunday's child who is fair and wise". (or some versions say "bonnie and blythe and good and gay")

Anyway - it's no wonder I don't know what I want to be when I grow up.... I don't even know when I was born or how to spell my name!

I love my name (the one I've always used) and the spelling is unique. I have encountered many difficulties when giving my name or when people read it because it is almost always misspelled or mispronounced. That doesn't bother me as much as my own mama (who gave it to me) misspelling it at my birth and then not even remembering what day I was born.

The main thing is - I was born. I have a name and I do have parents who love me. I have been blessed! Now, we get to see how the SS office will handle me....

I'll keep you posted!