The Punxsatawney prognosticator

For years, some insensitive Pennsylvanians have dragged a hibernating woodchuck out of his or her den and subjected it to a silly unnecessary "tradition." In 1993, the irrepressible Bill Murray starred in a comic film chronicling a visit to one such nonsense celebration of animal abuse which, mercifully, only emphasized Murray's humorous machinations.

In a year sometime between the onset of the "holiday" and the release of the movie, my family increased by one on Groundhog Day. His mother had been convinced to eschew drugs for this, her third delivery, and I gave no thought to small furry animals as I sat in the waiting room listening to her scream. Apparently, the ordeal especially endeared him to her, and because he became her favorite, he was particularly saddened by her death, which was probably attributable to her concern for him and his three siblings.

I have never been a completely suitable substitute for a mother's love, but I also love him, and I am thinking of him on his birthday.