Happy Birthday, Mama!

The year 1946 marks the first year of the Baby Boomer generation.  My Mother is one of them.  She was born on Jan 2, 1946 - the SECOND DAY of the FIRST YEAR of the Baby Boomer generation.

So, I decided that it was time to learn more about Baby Boomers.  Some interesting facts I learned about this historic generation:

• Seventy-six million American babies were born between the years  1946 to 1960.  This generation is called the Baby Boomer generation. 
• This generation grew up in a time of dramatic social change.
• The social changes created a great political divide in this generation between conservative and liberal ideas.  This great divide still has influenced modern day politics.
• As for religion:  42% of Baby Boomers dropped out of formal religion;  1/3 never strayed from the church; and 1/4 are returning to religion with a caveat - they are more liberal than those who never strayed from church, they are less loyal to church, and less regular in church attendance.  (According to Time Magazine article citing Wade Clark Roof, Sociologist at University of California at Santa Barbara, 1993).
• This generation was the first to grow up to the sounds of Rock and Roll.  Many pioneered this new musical genre.  My Mom's personal favorites were Elvis, and of course, The Beatles.  (She still has ALL of the original albums - every last one of them!)
• There are two divisions among Baby Boomers - Cohort #1 (1946 to 1955) and Cohort #2 Generation Joneses (1956 to 1964).
• My Mom is a member of Cohort #1:  She witnessed JFK's assassination on live TV, she said it was the most upsetting thing she ever saw.  She remembers the Cuban Missile Crisis, the first walk on the moon which was aired on TV, Vietnam, Civil Rights & Martin Luther King's assasination, Woodstock, Women's Rights Movement, and antiwar protests. 
• Baby Boomers have left a huge impact on history.  "An indication of the importance put on the impact of the boomer was the selection by Time magazine of the Baby Boom Generation as its 1967 "Man of the Year." As Claire Raines points out in ‘Beyond Generation X’, “never before in history had youth been so idealized as they were at this moment.” When Generation X came along it had much to live up to and to some degree has always lived in the shadow of the Boomers..."

So,


Happy Birthday to my wonderful Mother!  Mom, I love you and I am so thankful for you.  I wish everyone could know your generousity, love for others, and the sacrifices you have made through the years for your family, your students, and for others.  You have always looked out for the best interests of others before your own.  You have given so much to your family and your community.  You have spent your life investing in the lives of others, helping them to achieve what they never thought they could achieve.  You dedicated your life to teaching your children and the children of others so that they, too, could succeed in life.  You are such a strong, courageous person and I hope to be just like you when I grow up:-) 

I pray that today, on your special day, you are blessed beyond measure!  May God continue to use your giving spirit in serving Him.  Know that your family loves you so much and we are so thankful that you are our Mama! 

In His Love, Cathy