Irene had six children, seventeen grandchildren, and twenty-six great grandchildren. What a full-time job it was trying to keep up with birthdays! And what an expense! In the end, she had to issue an edict: there would be no birthday gifts after the age of twelve. But she was not bound by her own rules; she found she was still purchasing a gift for each.
All of her forty-nine descendants were alive, healthy and safe.
“You look at most families in the world,” said Irene, “and each has a tale of tragedy: a death, an accident, a tragic loss, even broken marriages or financial struggles. But all forty-nine of my descendants are alive and well, and truly blessed. When will tragedy strike?”
“It’s such a worry.”