Today would be the 32nd anniversary of her 44th birthday.

At her request, we officially stopped counting her birthday when she was 44.

On that birthday we were at our Pennsylvania home with family attending. We had no candles so I and one of the younger family members set out to find some. Not much shopping in the Poconos on Sunday, or anywhere nearby. At the fourth gas station we found a rack of candle numbers but no boxes of small candles.

However, my astute young shopping companion spotted two number 4s and our search was over.

Thus began the celebration of 44th birthdays rather than the chronology of actual birthdays.

Later I read that Ronald Reagan began the same practice at age 39.

When he passed away at 93 chronologically, well, you can do the math.