Fun is good

My Texas family celebrate Texas Independence Day today, in memory of the signing of the Texas Declaration of Independence on this date in 1836. It is also, by chance, the birthday of Sam Houston, who is buried in Huntsville, Texas where I grew up.

It is also the birthday of Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. His birthday is celebrated in schools and libraries across America. The first Dr. Seuss book I remember reading was The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins. I read it over and over.

I loved Horton the Elephant, hero of Horton Hatches the Egg and Horton Hears a Who. That is one reason he has a cameo role in the WhoVille stories. I was never a fan of The Cat in the Hat, but I think that is because I was so much like the priggish boy in the book.

At any rate, a few choice lines from the good Doctor:

• You'll miss the best thing if you keep your eyes shut.
• A person's a person, no matter how small.
• Life's too short to wake up with regrets. So love the people who treat you right, forgive the ones who don't and believe that everything happens for a reason. If you get a chance, take it. If it changes your life, let it. Nobody said it'd be easy, they just promised it would be worth it.
• Fun is good.