Happy Birthday!

Hi Everyone. So I know that I promised a post about my trip to Casablanca, and I will hold true to that promise...tomorrow. Today, however, is a very special day, and I feel the need to deviate slightly from the original purpose of this blog in order to address a most pressing issue. On this the 12th of Semptember in the Year of Our Lord 2009, my grandfather, Donald Kane, celebrated his 80th birthday. In honor of the occasion, I have decided to post a short tribute to my Grampy on the interwebs as I know that he is one of my biggest followers, and so that everyone else who reads this blog can come to know (if they don't already) what an extraordinary person Mr. Kane really is.

I've always known that I have had an excellent grandfather. When I was young this meant that there was a really tall guy with a moustache who we visited in the summer and who was always ready to play with me or show me how to use the super high tech remote for his TV. My earliest memories of Grampy are mostly centered around lazy summer days spent at the Kane residence in Newton, MA, filled with visits to the local bakeries and playgrounds and day trips to Boston. As a youngster I was slightly obsessed with the American Revolution and both of my grandparents were quite willing to accommodate my desire to see every single battlefield, momument, and famous grave multiple times.

I don't think that I truly began to appreciate just how special my grandfather really is until my later years of high school and these past two years of college. When I was little, I can remember going to bed in the summer, in Newton, with my bedroom windows open, and listening to the voices of my parents and grandparents floating up to the room as they talked for hours into the night. I think that my relationship with my grandfather really deepened once I reached the age where I was allowed to stay up and actively partipate in those after dinner discussions. Through these talks, I learned that Donald Kane is a very intelligent, well read, and fiercely opinionated man. He has also had an incredible life full of many unique and interesting experiences. I now know that when I think about my grandfather, for the rest of my life, some of my best memories will incude sitting at the dining room table discussing, many times heatedly, subjects ranging from Bosnia, to Somali pirates, to Presidential elections, to the various merits of Oprah's Book Club. Through my grandfather, I learned the excitement of debating, not just to prove my point or persuade others to my postion, but just for the sheer joy of coming together and sharing my thoughts with other intelligent, opinionated people.

For those of you that don't know, I study International Relations at American University. I didn't realize, until starting college, what an incredible resource I had in Donald Kane, when it comes to first hand knowledge about the international system. I've always known that my granparents, along with my mom and uncle, lived in France when my mother was very small, but I didn't realize the exact nature of why they moved to Europe until very recently. It was completly incredible for me to hear Grampy start to share stories about his work at the US Embassy and with various international organizations. I love showing Grampy off to all of my IR friends because, although the field has changed much in recent years, his knowledge of international affairs is as keen as ever, and his stories remain brilliant no matter how many years pass.

I feel very lucky that in my grandfather I have someone who loves me, who supports me, and who is always happy to hear about any adventures my life brings. I also feel incredibly blessed to have a grandparents with whom I share so many interests and who is willing to sit down and talk to me like an equal, about subjects that engage both of us, despite my rather obvious youth.

I guess what I really want to say is that, Grampy, in you I have someone who I can love, respect, and admire in great quanities. On the occasion of your 80th birthday I would like to tell you just how grateful I am that I have had you in my life these past 20 years, and how much I hope to have you in my life for many years to come.