As the weeks pass, I am fast approaching a milestone birthday. I will be 80 years old on Oct. 22. I am not overly shocked by this, as I have been preparing myself for a long time to accept this new decade in my life. I am the last survivor of my birth family. I am also a widow since 2010 and fully retired from teaching. At least I live in a vibrant part of town with kind neighbors and a decent social life. Plus my health is good. There are many blessings to count.

This is one of those blessings. It just so happens that I was the second baby born to my mother, Mary Cipollini, on…