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Happy Birthday

A birthday greeting for Steven Cranford.

Steven,

For your 30th birthday, I convinced the family (right after we opened Christmas presents) to hold a moment of silence in recognition of your big day. You were a real trooper then and I'm grateful that you didn't take that opportunity to whap me on the back of the head.

So, for your 40th birthday I was faced with the impossible task of topping that gem of a moment in our family history. Encouraged by how well you took that event, I decided I would handle this birthday in a slightly more public manner.

So, I've posted the birthday messages from your friends and family. I'm happy to see that they turned out to be a nice mix of funny and sentimental comments. You are, as you always have been, loved by all of us who are lucky enough to have you in our lives.

Then, I posted a small history lesson on the year of your birth, just to keep us all a little humble and because I think it is important to remember where we came from.

And finally, I'm writing this for you. I know it is a little bit sappy, but I figure that is okay this time. Each of my brothers is very important in my life. Lee did so much to take care of me and be a friend to me when we were little. You were such an important friend to me when I was in high school and college. I've always looked up to you both and wanted you to be proud of who I am.

So, I want to not only say Happy Birthday, but thanks. Thanks for teaching me how to dribble a soccer ball, drive a stick shift, and shoot a pistol. Thanks for telling me in high school how much better life is in college and how much you learned about being an adult when you got to college. Thank you for always being a good big brother even when I was a brat. Thank you for letting me get away with calling you Squirt just that one time when I was finally tall enough to look you in the eye. Thank you for expecting the best out of myself. Thank you for being who you are.

You are many, many miles away but I hope you know that we are all always thinking of you and Claudia and we wish you the best always.

Have a wonderful birthday.

--Little Brother

PS - I'm not letting you off this easy for your 80th birthday! I'm thinking advertisements in national magazines for that one.

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