The Understudy Steps Up

Did you know that today was the feast of St. Joseph? For a reason I’ve never taken the time to look up, the Catholic Church chose March 19 as the day to honor the world’s second most famous carpenter. One tradition associated with the feast day is serving a meatless dinner, and every year, my aunt honors that tradition by putting together a massive spread for family and friends. Even bigger than her magnificent Christmas Eve party, my aunt’s St. Joseph’s dinner leaves me wondering how she could willingly take on such a massive task, but I’m glad she does. Besides being one of the rare instances where vegans like Linda and me can eat almost everything, it gives me another chance to see family that I otherwise only see at Christmas. This year, Linda and I were also looking forward to bringing Violet to the party. A fellow father described our feelings best when he said, “After being cooped up inside for a while, you need to get out and have people tell you how beautiful your daughter is.” But it was not to be. Linda’s flu from last weekend caught up with me yesterday and I spiked a fever last night. I figured a large gathering was not the best place for me, and Linda didn’t want to leave me home alone tonight, so we had to cancel. My brother happened to call this afternoon, and when Linda told him we weren’t coming to the St. Joseph’s dinner and why, his response was, “Oh…we were looking forward to seeing the baby…” I know it makes sense that Violet is more exciting than Linda and me – and she’s easier to pick up and squeeze, but it’s something that’s interesting to realize – we are no longer the main attraction of “Linda and Bill”. And it doesn’t bother us at all. We feel the same way.

119 days old