They Say It's Your Birthday

Kylie Elizabeth Wulderk truly takes the cake.

We all say it - boy, how time flies. Well, no event captures that phenomenon better than a birthday, especially when that birthday symbolizes someone's first year of life. And today, we were back in Jersey to celebrate my grandniece Kylie's birthday number 1.

As I watched Kylie giggle and chatter as she appeared to enjoy the attention of all the family and friends who had gathered to help celebrate her special day, I couldn't help but consider ... What will Kylie's world be like?  Will it be better than the one now, or worse, or simply different? What will Kylie be like? Will she be a shaper or more one shaped by outside forces?

All that pondering led me back to a song my mother played so many times when I was young.  At first, I thought "Que Sera Sera," as sung by Doris Day, was just a bouncy pop song that my mother happened to like. But, as my own birthdays began to mount, I came to appreciate the richness embedded in its simple refrain: "Que sera  sera. Whatever will be will be.  The future's not ours to see. Que sera, sera."

And so, little Kylie, while your Uncle David has absolutely no idea what your future will hold, he is absolutely certain that it will come accompanied with much love. And maybe, to borrow from The Beatles (who, sorry Mom, were absolutely better musically than Doris Day) love really is all you need.