Decade 1
Ages 1-10
From Mom and Dad...
Paul,
You arrived in the world looking like a 3-month-old instead of a newborn. You weighed 11 pounds 2 ounces and were so calm and peaceful that your grandfather Rudy wrote a poem about you called “Only a Few are Born with Open Hands.” As an infant, your favorite thing to do was to sit and watch other people. With your chubby body you looked like a little Buddha. You loved to sleep, especially on top of the vacuum cleaner when it was running. We can only imagine how much you would have loved the Roomba! As a little boy, you loved sports of all kinds, especially basketball and swimming. But you had to find new activities after you developed Legg-Perthes Disease in one hip at age 9 and the other hip at age 11. So you became a San Francisco Boys Chorus member and began performing magic tricks with Mark at children’s birthday parties. At age 13, you were able to put your crutches away for good, just in time to find a new passion: acting! That passion carried you to Interlochen Arts Academy and to NYU where (among other things) you met your life-long friend Pat Fischler and graduated with honors. Then it was off to Los Angeles and the next part of your life.
From the beginning, Paul, you have been wise beyond your years. You can be light-hearted in general but when the chips are down, when you know that what you say really counts, you are rock solid. You are also courageous, and though life has knocked you down more than once you always bounce back up. It is almost impossible to put into words what an inspiration you are to us and to your siblings and how grateful we are that you are our son. You are a wonderful son, a loyal brother, a devoted husband, and an amazing father. We admire you, we respect you, and most of all, we love you more than words can say!
Mom and Dad
From Mike
My Dear Brother,
You were my first best friend. My earliest childhood memories are of loving and playing and sharing life with you. Bunk Bed Buddies at 5223 S. Kimbark and playing in the square. Having snowball fights and making snow angels. Taking turns getting raised up and down and balancing on Mom’s feet. Eating greasy pizza from Nikki’s Pizza. Loving our second mom, Maisey! Believing Dad’s hilarious story about the hundreds of peanut shells on the floor of Chance R restaurant being cleaned up every night by the elephant that lived in the back room. Hanging on the front steps on warm summer nights with Dobish. Not believing that a human being could be as tall as Kenny Speller. Arguing about (which you usually won) who got to play Ernie in our games of Ernie and Bert. Wearing the often embarrassing matching outfits that M&D got for us -- How about those ridiculous blue ones that we wore to Easter at Gramma Kay and Grandpa John’s house. Walking on the roads and rivers in Vermont and picking apples for Grandma Diane’s amazing home cooked apple pies. Setting up the pillows and other padded piles at the bottom of the stairs at 1503 E. 56th St and jump diving into them over and over again. For my entire life, I’ve always felt such a unique and special bond to you, my brother. It’s from my relationship with you that I learned how the very best of friendships and relationships are often best just by being near each other. Just being in your presence makes me feel home. The joy and tears of love that I have always had for you are the foundations of my heart.
Happy 50th Birthday Brother. I love you with all my heart.
-Mike