A Tribute To Josiah Getz

Today is a grand day. For on this day, November 11, 1868, the telescope was patented by Alvan Clark. Looking back through the eyepiece of history, we have every reason to thank Alvan for his historic action. Without him, it's very likely that history would have been completely different, and if history was completely different, it's highly probable to assume that on November 11, 2002, Josiah Marvin Getz would never have been born. But, thankfully, he was! And today we, the staff here at WDWDG, are celebrating his 7th birthday with this special Birthday Tribute:

Josiah Marvin Getz was born on this day 7 years ago in Peoria, Illinois. I don't recall the exact dates, but within the next few days he officially became a Getz through adoption. It was one of the best days that I can remember. I still recall holding him in the hospital on the night he was born, and then going around to all of our relatives the next day and showing them pictures. After taking 4 years off of baby-raising since Leah (1998), Mom and Dad were overjoyed with their new son. Also, Josiah's arrival marked the end of a male drought in the Getz family that had been in effect since 1992.

Josiah was one of the best baby's ever. He was adorably chubby, his hair was as curly Arby's french fries, and his laugh was so pleasant and frequent, and the love that we all showed him was instantly returned. He shared a special bond with Dad; when Dad would leave for work, Josiah would hold onto mom and moan sorrowfully, "I miss him. I miss my daddy," over and over again. It was so cute.

Josiah is now at the stage where he is beginning to show maturity beyond his years. For a seven-year-old, he is a superb conversationalist, he is a great story-teller, and he's got a sincere, compassionate heart for his friends and family. He's a great example of "daddy's little helper," as he is constantly tagging along with Dad on all sorts of projects. At the last Fall Work Day at church, Josiah represented the entire male population of Grace Church between the ages of 1-17. He is also a great leader/big brother. He and Joel play together for hours; they invent games, create complex interstate highway system with all their toy cars and trucks, and resolve their differences 100% independently (at least that's what I hear; I'm not home that much anymore...sadly).

To sum it up, Josiah is a great little-brother who I am excited to watch grow up over the next several years. For his birthday today he wanted the whole family to go down to visit Ben and U of I, so that is what they did. I hope you had fun, Josiah, and I can't wait to see you and all my family again over Thanksgiving Break! Happy Birthday!

Editor's Note:

Sadly, this is the last Family Birthday post of the year as no Getzes have birthdays after November 11.