Today is Phil's Birthday.  This is one of my favorite pictures of Phil.  Looking at something off in the distance, in the prime of his youth, before he became all man-ish.  That's his dog Buck, there, licking his face and inspiring the smile of joy only dog love can inspire.  And the hair! Love the hair.  But above all this, my favorite thing is that his hand, some 30 years ago, looks just like his hand now.

I think I am glad I didn't know Phil when he was between boy and man, when he let his prom date dress him in a yellow tux, and when he was figuring out how to be Mr. D.  I am very glad I met Phil when he was already a man, strong, and full of opinions and conviction - and smart enough to fall for a girl like me.  However, today, as he is turning 44, I think I would have liked to know Phil as a boy.  Maybe even on the day this was taken, as he sat in the sun and loved nothing more than his dog Buck.  Even then, I think I would have recognized him as the man whose hands would hold me up all these years. 

Happy Birthday, Phil.