There are no divorces in November

Thank GOD the election is over! Perhaps people will stop tiranting about the other party now -- geez frikkin' louise!! Is it so hard to believe there is good ideology on both sides?

November 2008 - an election month in the USofA and, specifically, the month and year in which we elected our first black president. Yes, I voted. Yes, that is highly unusual for me. Yes, I did it at the last minute (7:58 p.m., to be exact). And yes, I voted for Obama.

Yes, I am republican. No, I don't care what you think of my jumping party lines; even if it is praiseworthy, keep it to yourself. My belief system is just as conservative and liberal as ever and remains intact regardless of your thoughts. I don't need your praise, as though I've just come to my senses. Sheesh!

NO MORE POLITICS! I declare the remainder of this glorious month to be solely dedicated to celebration!

November is a VERY SPECIAL MONTH full of bonhomous events. For starters, in the US, November is the month in which we give thanks for early Americans who taught us how to grow scary corn mazes.

November is also my birth-month. I can say that because someone already spilled the beans. I was born on T-Day, and I was indeed a butterball. I was born in Denver, Colorado, with a bleeding ulcer, and that's about all that's interesting there.

November is the cross-over month for autumn and winter, a glitzy golden mashup with crisp skies one day, and inclement weather the next. The ground is carpeted with hoar-covered leaves, and there is a bite in the air that sears your lungs unlike any other time of the year.

November is also the month before PRESSIES! Excitement for Christmas begins November 1st and mounts to fever pitch through month's end. Malls are crowded and the Post Office has lines out the door and around the block. November is a cash cow for the retail industry.

But these are NOT what make November special. What makes November such a glorious month is one tiny little bundle that arrived twenty-four years ago today. My beautiful, beautiful daughter, Jody.

On November 6, 1984, my life changed forever. I became instantly tired and ceaselessly young; my world expanded to include strength that would see me through the darkest nights, and a perpetual source of energy to power my heart and mind and soul through a second half of century living. November is, indeed, a very special month.

Happy Birthday, Jody. I love you with all my .