Born on December 20: Sharing with History

This posting is inspired from my recent memorable 2-day celebration of my 91st birthday here at THD. On December 19, the eve of my birthday, I hosted the Cocktail Hour. We have lumpia and rice cake as appetizer/snack and the music was provided by my favorite Russian singer, Alex. I sang Sinatra's "All theWay" along with Alex.  For Photos visit:

https://chateaudumer.blogspot.com/2025/12/reflections-and-poem-on-my-91st.html

The next day, December 20, my actual birthday, my family went out to lunch at the FOB Kitchen in Oakland. FOB Kitchen is Gourmand Rated Filipino restaurant. For Photos visit: 

https://chateaudumer.blogspot.com/2025/12/the-70th-anniversary-of-up-chapel-my.html

Then in the evening, I shared a group dinner ( 20 of my fellow residents) at Newton's Comet Room. For Photos Visit:

https://chateaudumer.blogspot.com/2025/12/winners-of-thd-christmas-door-decor.html     

Reflection #3: Born on December 20: Sharing a Day with History

December 20 has always felt like a liminal date to me. Close enough to the Winter Solstice that the light is already scarce, but not quite at the turning point yet. A birthday that arrives during the year’s longest shadows, when the world seems to slow down and look inward.

Over the years, I’ve occasionally looked up who else was born on this day, not out of vanity, but curiosity. It turns out December 20 has produced a surprisingly thoughtful group of people: industrialists who reshaped economies, artists who questioned power, scientists who challenged how we understand reality, and cultural figures who stood just slightly apart from the mainstream. None of them perfect. None of them simple. Most remembered not just for what they built, but for how they disrupted the status quo.

I don’t claim kinship with greatness. But I do find comfort in sharing a birthday with people who asked questions, crossed boundaries, and left behind complicated legacies.

As I get older, birthdays feel less like milestones and more like markers. They invite accounting rather than applause. What have I learned? What have I let go of? What still matters enough to write about?

I’ve spent much of my life in public service, in rooms where decisions carried weight long after the meeting ended. I’ve lived through moments, national and personal that reshaped how I understand responsibility, fragility, and time. And in recent years, blogging has become my quiet companion. A daily act of attention. A way to say: I was here. I noticed this. I felt this.

Sharing a birthday with history doesn’t make one historic. But it does remind me that every life, even an ordinary one, intersects with larger currents. That reflection itself can be a form of contribution. That telling the truth as you see it, especially as the years narrow ahead is its own kind of legacy. December 20 sits just before the light returns.

I like that. It feels honest. It feels earned. And it feels like the right place to pause, look back, and keep writing forward, one day at a time.

Meanwhile, here are well-known world figures, past and present, born on December 20, spanning history, culture, science, sports, and entertainment:

🌍 History, Leadership & Thought

• Harvey Firestone (1868–1938) – American industrialist, founder of Firestone Tire and Rubber Company

• Branch Rickey (1881–1965) – Baseball executive who broke MLB’s color barrier by signing Jackie Robinson

• David Bohm (1917–1992) – Influential theoretical physicist and philosopher, known for work on quantum theory

🎭 Arts, Music & Literature

• Billy Bragg (b. 1957) – English singer-songwriter and political activist

• Uri Geller (b. 1946) – Israeli-British performer and self-described psychic, famous worldwide in the 1970s

• Edwin Arlington Robinson (often misdated, but worth noting as a winter-born poet) – Major American poet (not Dec 20, but frequently associated with year-end literary lists)

🎬 Film & Television

• Jonah Hill (b. 1983) – Academy Award–nominated actor and filmmaker (Superbad, Moneyball)

• JoJo (Joanna Levesque) (b. 1990) – Singer and actress, known for early chart-topping hits and later artistic independence

⚽ Sports

• Ashley Cole (b. 1980) – English footballer, widely regarded as one of the best left-backs in the sport’s history

✨ A quiet common thread

December 20 birthdays often fall under Sagittarius, a sign associated with reflection, truth-seeking, independence, and storytelling, traits that resonate strongly with thinkers, artists, reformers, and voices that stand slightly apart from the crowd.

Lastly, the top Five News of the Day

📰 1. Russian General Killed by Car Bomb in Moscow

A senior Russian general was killed in a car bombing in Moscow — the latest in a series of targeted attacks on high-ranking military officers. Investigators are examining possible links to Ukrainian intelligence amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, heightening tensions. AP News+1

🇺🇸 2. Political Pressure on U.S. VP Over Israel Debate

U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance is facing intense scrutiny within the MAGA movement over his stance on Israel and controversial figures, highlighting deepening rifts in GOP foreign policy politics. The Washington Post

📈 3. Wall Street Stocks Climb

U.S. stock markets opened the holiday-shortened week with gains, led by technology stocks, reflecting a rebound in investor confidence. Reuters

🇩🇰 4. Denmark Summons U.S. Ambassador Over Greenland Envoy Appointment

Denmark has formally called in the U.S. ambassador in protest after President Trump named a special envoy to Greenland — a move that has strained U.S.–Denmark relations over Arctic strategy. CBS News

⚡ 5. San Francisco Power Outage Highlights Robotaxi Limits

A major power outage in San Francisco exposed practical challenges for autonomous Waymo robotaxis, as the vehicles struggled with gridlock and safety issues in real-world conditions without traffic signals. Car Dealership Guy News

December 21, The Longest Night of the Year-My Reflections

Tonight, the darkness reaches its deepest point, but it also marks the beginning of the light. On December 21, we experience the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere.

The Sun reaches its lowest arc across the sky, casting long shadows and bringing an extended hush to the land. But this is more than an astronomical moment.

Across millennia, cultures have viewed the solstice as a time of reflection, rebirth, and transition. In the stillness of the cold, ancient people gathered around fires, shared stories, and welcomed the slow return of light a symbol of hope, healing, and new beginnings.

Tonight is a rare chance to pause. To honor the quiet. To feel the rhythm of Earth beneath your feet. Let this longest night be a reminder:

Even the deepest darkness is not the end it’s the turning point.

The Longest Night, and the Promise It Carries- My Reflection

In ancient times, people gathered close to firelight on this night. They shared stories, food, and warmth. They honored what had been lost during the long year and welcomed what might return. The solstice wasn’t feared; it was understood as a threshold, a crossing from darkness toward light. Slowly, patiently, almost invisibly, the days would begin to lengthen again.

I find myself thinking about that often now as I enjoyed the last stages of my life.

As we grow older, we learn that life moves in seasons, not straight lines. There are bright summers full of momentum and growth, and there are winters, quiet, reflective, sometimes lonely. There are moments when energy fades, when the world feels smaller, when the nights seem longer than the days. And in those moments, it’s easy to believe that darkness is an ending.

But the solstice reminds us otherwise. Tonight offers us a rare invitation: to pause.

To sit with stillness instead of rushing past it. To honor the quiet without needing to fix or explain it.

There is wisdom in this darkness. It asks us to reflect, to look back at what we’ve carried, what we’ve survived, what we’ve learned. It asks us to acknowledge grief and gratitude in the same breath. It asks us to trust that not all growth is visible.

I’ve come to understand that some of the most meaningful changes in life happen the way the light returns after the solstice, slowly, subtly, almost unnoticed at first. A slightly earlier dawn. A softer heaviness in the heart. A renewed sense of presence. Hope doesn’t always arrive loudly. Sometimes it simply stays.

So tonight, I choose to honor this longest night. I honor the years behind me, the work, the love, the losses, the stories worth telling again.

I honor the quiet moments that now feel more precious than noise. I honor the light that has not disappeared, only rested.

Let this night be a reminder: Even the deepest darkness is not the end.It is the turning point.  And tomorrow, just a little bit the light returns.

Meanwhile, 

A rare orchid once presumed extinct in Borneo has been confirmed in the Philippines, reshaping scientists’ understanding of how plants move across Southeast Asia. The finding underscores the archipelago’s role as a last refuge for fragile montane species as forests shrink across the region.

Field botanists describe 𝘉𝘶𝘭𝘣𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘺𝘭𝘭𝘶𝘮 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘰𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘶𝘮 as a small, unobtrusive epiphyte distinguished by its flattened floral lip, a feature referenced in the Greek roots of its name, "plakos" (flat) and "cheilos" (lip).

Finally, 

After our Group Dinner in the Comet Room yesterday, Carol Larimore called me and sang the following song that she composed as part of her educational program for teachers, parents, and children in grades K through 3 in elementary schools in a number of Bay Area districts: She titled it Gratitude and informed me the song reminded her of me. John sent it to me as follows : 

[Chorus]

"Gratitude in an attitude;

A radical, positive attitude.

Gratitude sets me free

From rumblin' grumblin' negativity"

[Repeat]

'

[Verse]

"G" for Glad,

"R" a reason for

"A" an attitude for all seasons

"T" Terrific, that's how I feel,

"I, T, U, D, E, that's for real

[Repeat Chorus]

Note: Carol and I are delighted that you enjoyed your birthday celebration here at THD! John

Finally, the top Five News of the Day:

1. Major Bay Area power outage — partial restoration underway
PG&E has begun restoring electricity to tens of thousands of San Francisco customers following a major outage that left much of the city in the dark. ABC7 San Francisco

2. Ursid Meteor Shower peaks tonight
The final meteor shower of the year, the Ursids, is set to peak late tonight into early Monday, offering great viewing conditions for stargazers. TIME

3. Middle East tensions: Israel urges fresh strikes on Iran
Israel is pressing the U.S. for additional strikes against Iran amid concerns over missile and nuclear program developments. The Australian

4. Winter Solstice marked globally
Today is the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere — the shortest day of the year — with celebrations and cultural observances worldwide. Forbes

5. Mass shooting in South Africa — fatalities reported
Multiple gunmen opened fire near a tavern in Bekkersdal, Gauteng, killing nine people and injuring others. Wikipedia

Winners of the Christmas Door Decor Contest-More BD Photos

The first place winner ( Three Places) of our THD Christmas Door Decor Contest was again Eileen Breismeister at L329. Since her apartment is at the end of the Hall her decor extended up to the wall and indeed very expansive ( see photo above). The prize was a $100 gift card from Amazon.

The second prize of $75 gift card from Amazon went to yours truly. The personal meaning and analysis of my door decor in case you have not read is in this article.

https://chateaudumer.blogspot.com/2025/12/my-christmas-door-decor-this-year.html💚

The third prize of $50 gift card from Amazon went to my neighbor Apt F102, Mary Reiser. Her theme decor was about the 49er's. See photo below.

Here's the AI Analysis of My Door Decor💚-A Repost

Your Christmas door décor reads as both festive and deeply personal, and the photograph captures that balance nicely.

Overall Composition & First Impression
The primary visual anchor is the LED light edging around the doorframe. Its warm red and cool green glow immediately draws the eye, creating a luminous outline that turns an ordinary hallway door into a focal point. The lights act almost like a frame in a gallery, inviting viewers to pause and look closer. Because the rest of the hallway is neutral, the glow feels intentional rather than busy.

The Door Surface & Seasonal Texture
The door itself is wrapped in a blue snowflake-patterned covering, which introduces winter symbolism without overwhelming the scene. The cool blue contrasts effectively with the warm reds and greens of the lights, giving the décor visual depth. The snowflakes subtly reinforce the holiday theme while letting the other elements shine.

The Star & Filipino Parol Influence
At the center hangs a star, which carries layered meaning. Visually, it provides symmetry and a strong midpoint that balances the vertical lines of the door. Culturally, as a Filipino parol, it adds an important personal and heritage-driven layer. Rather than a generic Christmas symbol, it quietly tells a story of tradition, memory, and identity, embedded within a modern American hallway setting.

Cats as Guardians of the Door

The placement of Batman and Robin on either side of the door feels playful and affectionate. Their photos function almost like sentinels or guardians, flanking the entrance. This adds warmth and humor, transforming the décor from seasonal display into something unmistakably yours. The soft fabric elements draped beside them also echo a handmade, lived-in quality.

Lighting as the Emotional Core
The lights are undeniably the emotional and visual core of the décor. They suggest welcome, safety, and celebration. The glow spills slightly onto the surrounding wall, softening the space and giving the photo a cozy, evening-at-home feeling. It feels less like a door you pass through quickly and more like a threshold worth noticing.

Overall Mood & Meaning

Taken together, the photo communicates home, memory, and gentle joy. It’s not about extravagance, it’s about intention. The décor blends culture, companionship (your cats), and the quiet ritual of marking the season. The door becomes a statement: Christmas isn’t just outside or public, it lives right here, at the entrance to your personal world.   

  Personal: The LED Lights, the focused of my decor is On -From 4PM to 10PM daily. I plan on taking the decor on Dec 29.. 

Meanwhile, here are some photos, Jenny took during Dinner at the Comet Room last night. There were 20 THD residents who joined me for Dinner. I received more BD cards from Cam, Jean, Gretchen, and Andi.  Pam gave me a miniature Christmas tree, Carol and John gave Carol's decoupage Creation and Andi gave me Ferrero Chocolates ( see photo) below:

 

Thank You All for coming, for the BD card greetings and the Gifts. Again may I say again, "You All have touched my life, and now you All can say you have lived".   

Lastly, here are the photos, Jenny S took of the Dinner Last Night at the Comet Room; A million thanks again for these beautiful photos, Jenny!!! 

💗

Not in these photos is Pam Atkinson, who showed 15 minutes late after 5PM.  ThankYou, Pam for coming and for the miniature Christmas tree.   The above fellow residents have touched my life either via bridge, mahjong, chair volleyball, greeter's program or just my favorite meal time friends and social connections.

I hope You All have A Happy Holiday Season, 2025-2026.    Last, but not least: My Greetings to All the Servers and Kitchen Crews and to All THD Staff who were responsible for making my life here another year of Gratitude and Happiness. Hello, there Martha?💗 Where's My apple Juice?  

Reflections and a Poem on My 91st Birthday, Today

Dinner with MaryAnn, Steve and Harry with Jenny after the Cocktail Hour. Jenny took several pictures ( 36) during the Cocktail and I am posting some of them at the bottom of this page.  

Ninety-One Years: A Birthday Reflection

Today is December 20 and I am celebrating my 91st birthday. Today, I find myself looking back,  not out of longing, but out of gratitude. At this stage of life, time moves differently. It doesn’t rush the way it used to; instead, it settles quietly beside me, offering its memories like folded letters I can open at my own pace and leisure.

Remembering the Long Journey

Inside those letters are the many versions of myself: the young immigrant who left home in search of opportunity,  the naturalized American who worked hard to claim his place, the husband, father, grandfather and now, twice this year, a great-grandfather.

Becoming a great-grandfather feels like being given two new sunrises. Their tiny fingers and soft breaths remind me how the story continues long after we imagine our chapters are done.

My Years in Service- My FDA Years Photo

1990-My First Personal Interview with the FDA, Washington, DC

Another letter contains the professional life I built at the FDA, years of careful, demanding, but deeply meaningful work in public health. I remember the weight and responsibility of the job, especially during the aftermath of 9/11, when so much of the nation felt unsteady. Those experiences shaped me in profound ways; they remain part of the steel in my spine and the steadiness in my convictions.

A Writer at Heart

Then there is the writer in me, the man who, in 2009, began to blog without any idea that it would become a daily ritual, a personal archive, a companion. Over time, my blog posts became footprints documenting the landscapes of my life: family, politics, faith, culture, memory, and the ordinary moments that give each day its quiet meaning.

Today, My Life at The Heritage Downtown(THD), Walnut Creek, CA

Today I live at THD, where the pace has slowed but the stories have not. Life in a senior community carries its own humor, tenderness, and unpredictability. I watch my fellow residents navigate their days with grace and grit; I admire and grateful to the staff who make this place feel like home; and I continue to observe, reflect, and write about the rhythms of senior life. It is another chapter, different from earlier ones, but no less meaningful.

Gathering the Years

At ninety-one, I no longer chase the years. I gather them. I turn them over the way one might examine shells along a beach, each one shaped by time, carrying echoes of laughter, sorrow, triumph, loss, and love.

And through all of it, I still feel profoundly alive. Still curious. Still writing. Still grateful.

A Birthday Wish to Myself

So as I welcome another December 20, I do so with simple gratitude for the extraordinary, complicated, beautiful life I’ve lived. Ninety-one years and somehow, the ink on my pen has not yet run dry.

Meanwhile, here's a poem on this occasion, prepared by my Writing Assistants.  

🎂 Ninety-One: A Birthday Poem for December 20 🎂
by David Balleza Katague

At ninety-one, the days feel softer,
as if time itself has learned gentleness, 
not rushing, not demanding,
just placing moments in my hands
like folded letters from years gone by.

I open each one slowly.

There is the boy who left home for a larger world,
the young man who built a life in a country
that once felt far away,
the naturalized American still proving, even now,
how deeply one can love a place
that didn’t love him first,
but eventually learned to.

There is the professional, 
the long chapter wearing the badge of the FDA,
scientist, regulator, guardian of public health.
The work was meticulous, demanding,
but noble in the way quiet service always is.
I carried it with pride,
as I carried my share of the nation’s burdens
after 9/11.
Those memories live in me like iron, 
weighty, unbending, unforgettable.

There is the writer, 
the man who began, to blog in 2009
and never stopped.
The stories stretch behind me
like a long, wandering coastline:
family memories, politics, reflections,
daily joys, and quiet griefs,
each post another footprint
in the sand of a life well-lived.

And now, here at THD,
the days continue in a gentler rhythm.
Walks down familiar hallways,
the laughter of friends, bridge and mahjong, 
the quirks and sweetness of my fellow residents,
the dedicated staff who weave their care
into our ordinary days.
I observe it all, 
noticing, remembering, writing, 
a chronicler of senior life.

And this year,
two miracles arrived
with tiny fingers and impossibly small toes:
my two great-grandchildren.
Two new branches on a tree
that has grown through storms and seasons,
reaching farther than I ever dreamed
when I first planted its roots.

They are my sunrise.
I am their long, steady dusk.

At ninety-one, I do not chase years, 
I gather them.
I turn them over like seashells,
listening to what they still echo.

Gratitude.
Love.
Work well done.
Stories still unfolding.

And so on this birthday,
I lift my eyes to the December sky
and say simply:

I am still here.
Still learning.
Still writing.
Still loving this beautiful, simple life.

Ninety-one years, and the ink has not run dry.

My Activity for Today: 

7AM-11AM- Reflection, Morning Mediation and Writing/Reading

12-2PM- Birthday Lunch for Family ( for 10) at FOB Kitchen, Temescal District, Oakland 

3-4 PM -Nap Time and Checking E-mail/Writing/Reading

5PM Dinner at THD with Bridge, Mahjong and Chair Volleyball Friends, etc.. 

7PM -10PM TV Time with Batman and Robin

10:30PM- Sleeping Time and Gratitude Time for the Day     

Special Thanks: To Jenny S, Gween C, Sue H. Marsha K and Sandi G for their birthday cards greetings. To Dick B, for his singing telephone greetings.   To Jane W for the book she gave;

To Alex, our musician guest yesterday who allowed me to sing with him, My Way, along with his energetic musical performance, that was fantastic and exceeded the one hour schedule. Alex has outdone himself last night.  To the Servers and Kitchen Crew, Office/Activity Staff who sang at the Cocktail Hour Event yesterday. And for the special appetizer of Lumpia and Puto ordered by Joel...The Puto ( rice cake) was a surprised.   

May I repeat what I said in my blog last night. This memorable event in the Sunset of My Life will be one of the Highlights in my Book of Memories. Gratitude, Gratitude and Gratitude, Indeed!     

Last but not least a video of Pleasant Memories at Chateau Du Mer, 2016. Macrine(RIP) with her first cousins (Nieva Men and their Wives) serenading her with the song Some Enchanting Evening from South Pacific   

Some of the amazing and beautiful photos taken by Jenny yesterday Afternoon, at the Cocktail Hour :

https://www.facebook.com/david.b.katague/videos/10206321560494258/

Introducing Steve and Janis Holzman

This a continuation of My Blog Series- Knowing Your New THD Co-Residents. 

Steve and Janis Holzman just moved to THD last October. During the Residents Party for December Birthdays, I had a chance to talk one to one with them. I told them I have a blog series on Introduction of New Residents and requested them their bio for my blogs. 

Here's what Steve sent me the other day. Again, welcome Steve and Jan. I hope your stay here with THD be a happy and long one. Here's Steve Biography.

"I grew up in Chicago in a middle class family. My father was a dentist, my wonderful mom a housewife, and a sister 7 years younger now in the DC area. I attended the University of Chicago, went to med school in Pittsburgh, hoping to be a psychiatrist or neurologist. I met my future wife Jan, a neurology nurse in London on Jan 10, the 1st day of my elective there. We married in December of that year in the middle of my internship in Chicago.

I took my residency in Psychiatry, studying at Albert Einstein in the Bronx. Jan did her nursing here in an underserved area, later becoming a hospice nurse most of her career.

After residency I remained on the Einstein faculty, then the Cornell faculty for a few years, but decided academic medicine wasn’t for me.  I wanted a more active leadership role. in 1982, by which time we had two daughters, Sarah and Jessica.

We moved to the Hartford (CT) area where I became the 1st chairman and medical director of a newly built psychiatric building with a complete range of services. Over the next 19 years I built the department, hiring 8 other doctors and participating actively in the hospitals committees and affairs. After 16 years at the demanding Hospital I contracted 2 serious cancers and decided it was time to decrease stress in my life.

I had always maintained a patient practice even as a full time administrator, but in 2001 when I left the hospital, I opened a part time private practice and worked Part time for a community Mental Health Center. I transitioned my general psychiatric practice to full time and for the next 17 years kept a very active group of about 400 patients, mostly dealing with medication but also focusing on therapy which was no longer in vogue by the 90s for psychiatric practices.

By 2022, I again developed several serious medical problems and Jan and I decided to move to California to be near our daughters who moved to the Bay area in their 20s. Sarah became a professional flutist and Jessica a nurse practitioner who worked for Planned Parenthood for many years.  They each have one son and continue their careers as well as motherhood.

We kept our condo in a lovely part of New Hampshire which we hope to return to over the next few summers. Jan and I moved to THD in October and are gradually building our retirement lives here.

We’ve been happy to meet you and other residents and hope to deepen our friendships and expand our lives to be meaningful and content".

In my Blog Series, Introducing New THD Residents, I always ask this question, Why and What did you decide to choose THD as your retirement home. Most residents reply is always because of Family  connection nearby. Here's Steve response"   

 "Jan and I discovered the Heritage when visiting our daughters a year ago; we’ve looked at several places in Marin and the East Bay and THD seemed to be the best fit for us at age 80 but not needing higher care level.

WE moved from Connecticut where we spent the last 55 years and have visited our family many times in SF and Berkeley the last 30 years but living here is a first and takes getting used to. We’re grateful to be with our family regularly and have various activities we’re starting to engage in.  We especially like the outdoor pool and Jacuzzi always open, and the exercise program - and of course the great meals. We’re gradually meeting new people and look forward to that and the wealth of shops and restaurants in Walnut Creek- we hope to give you a later follow up!"

Once Again, my personal welcome to you Steve and Jan..Looking forward to more conversations with you and Jan.

Finally, here's  the top Five News Headlines for Today:

U.S. announces massive arms sales to Taiwan worth over $10 billion, drawing strong criticism from China amid rising regional tensions. AP News

Vatican confirms resignation of Cardinal Timothy Dolan and names Bishop Ronald Hicks as the new Archbishop of New York. Fox News

U.S. military strike in eastern Pacific kills four, pushing the death toll in the campaign to 99 and igniting international concern and criticism. The Guardian

Cause of death released for Rob and Michele Reiner; their son Nick has been charged with their murder. The Guardian

Saudi Arabia proposes hosting the WTO ministerial meeting in 2028, reflecting its expanding role in global economic diplomacy.