# 1 On the Billboard Charts

I did a little internet research. Can you guess what the most recognized song is in the world? 2nd and 3rd place awards go to "For He's A Jolly Good Fellow" and "Auld Lang Syne". But number one is "Happy Birthday To You". I thought: we take this little ditty for granted. Who in the history of music should be given a Grammy for composing such a favorite song? There's only a handful of people who could answer this question. So I am going to give you the answer.

A song entitled "Good Morning To All" was written in 1893 by sisters Patty and Mildred Hill. They were kindergarten teachers in Kentucky, who wanted a simple, little song to teach their students. The actual birthday edition, taken from the sisters' earlier version first appeared in print in 1912. But credits and copyrights didn't enter in until 1935 when the rights were purchased for quite a few bucks! In 1990 it was estimated that the value of the song was near $5 million dollars.

Apparently the copyright will not expire in the United States until 2030, which means unauthorized public performances of the song are technically illegal unless royalties are paid. It is reported that in 2008, royalties paid just to sing the song in public totaled $2 million dollars. Have you noticed at IHOP or Applebees that the waiters sing their own original, celebratory song instead of "happy birthday" when honoring you on your special day? Isn't it a sad, greedy world when we can't even wish each other a "merry" birthday without a cost of $5,000! (To be honest, I'm probably infringing on copyright laws just by repeating what I read in Wikipedia).

Well, that's a bit of trivia. Why share such valuable information with you? Two reasons. First, October 2nd is a birthday to me. It is a 1st year celebration of my cancer experience. It was on October 2, 2008 that I received the phone call from Dr. Noyes that turned my life upside down. I refer to it as a birthday because of its similarities to my "real" birth that happened over a half century ago. When we are born, we are totally clueless, get turned upside down, slapped and we cry a lot. That's what happened to me. I had no idea of what lie ahead, and I felt as if I had been hit on the head. The only thing I could do for a long time was cry. But I began to learn many new things, and pretty soon I could smile, laugh, walk, talk...literally and figuratively.

But there is another reason why October 2nd is a celebration. I survived another 365 days! October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. As part of the American Cancer Society's push in October, they sponsor Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. As I looked on their website, I found the following comments:

"In the fight against Breast Cancer, birthdays are signs of progress. We want more of them... A world with less breast cancer is a world with more birthdays...Each step you take lights more birthday candles."

So I am grateful I can celebrate a birthday today. I might even buy a cupcake, put a candle on top and make a wish. My wish would be that October 2, 2010, I can celebrate being "two". (Oh, hey, that should give me justification in behaving like a "terrible two"...awesome. I'll have to call on some of your children for pointers!) (Only kidding...you're children are angels!)