Happy Birthday to my man.....

On Saturday, November 10, 1962 Ed was born at 6 am to the sound of beating drums in the village of Seaton, Jamaica (in the Parish of St. Mary). He was delivered by his great-grandmother, Nora Kitson. Nora, a midwife, who lived to be 113 years old (1891 - 2004) ,smoked a corncob pipe until she was 76 and was the daughter of plantation slaves. Ed's maternal grandfather, James Francis, was a shaman, a farmer, a butcher and a great storyteller who passed on the oral tradition to Ed. Ed was given his first machete at the age of 6 by his grandfather. He was Ed's first hero and mentor. Ed learned to read from the Bible. Ed's first pet was a cow named Betty. He was raised in a tin roofed shanty with a dirt floor and no running water. Ed moved to Canada in 1973, where at the age of 11 he experienced his first junk food and his first of many exposures to racial prejudice. As a teenager, Ed was a member of the Scarborough Optimist's Club (he ran with Ben Johnson, Angela Issajenko and Mark McCoy). He also danced with the Harriet Tubman Group and performed at the O'Keefe Centre (now known as the Hummingbird Centre). He played football briefly in the CFL with the Hamilton Tiger Cats (and he would be too embarassed for me to put up the links so I won't - for all his accomplishments he is a very humble person). His waist, as seen in that groovy 70's photo above, was an unbelievable 27"(he was 16 in the picture). I love the bell bottom pants (a little flashback there!) and the fact he has a full head of hair! Ed is a man of incredible integrity and honesty. He is kind and gentle and understands the concept of unconditional love and acceptance in a way I have experienced with few people. He accepts people as they are but he doesn't tolerate bad manners or bad behaviour in anyone. I am continuously impressed by his low level of anxiety and his ability to deal with difficult situations and people. He is a dedicated and caring father who loves his children with passion, compassion and clarity. Ed is boisterously proud of his children and isn't shy about displaying his love and pride publicly. He is playful and affectionate with Nick and Sheree and fiercely protective of them.

He is a great friend. He is a keen intellect and a passionate learner. He walks the walk and talks the talk. He will not promise you anything he cannot follow through on. He treats people with a sincere level of respect and graciousness.

As a partner and a husband Ed has taught me so much about courage, patience and love. He has been a rock for me during the last 12 years (and particularly the last 5 months) of my chronic illness ups and downs, and I truly feel at times that if it weren't for Ed I wouldn't be here. He has held me with optimism, humour and true caring.

He massages me when I am in pain (he has a healer's hands) and comforts me when I am crying and feeling that this thing will never end (more so of late). He makes sure I laugh at least once a day.

Ed does the laundry (and is quite finicky about his whites), cooks for me(he makes the lightest dumplings, the best jerk, a mean chicken soup that cures just about anything and some awesome stewed chicken, among his repetoire of various specialities, all passed down and without a recipe), cleans the bathrooms, weeds my vegetable garden and cares for the farm with a methodical thoroughness that puts me to shame. He irons. He lets my dog Gryphon (who celebrated her 12th birthday on Wednesday) sleep on the bed.

Ed knits. I love that I can have a discussion about a knitting project or problem with him and he gets it. Ed has this huge laugh, an awesome smile and a larger than life personality. He is this kind of old school, old fashioned guy with a heart of gold. He is a tremendous individual whom I have been very priviledged to be loved by and to know. Happy birthday my love!