This is one of those posts that as it begins I have absolutely no idea where and how it will end. It may be very brief, and it may simply end.

Today would have been my father's 105th birthday. I don't know what it is about the number 5 and numbers ending it 5. I recall noting what would have been his 95th birthday and what was the 5th anniversary of his death, both of which occurred in 2007. These days were not marked by a passing thought of their significance in this respect, but by a certain persistent attention to, if not preoccupation with, the events of 1912 and 2002.

A Google search on the meaning of the number 5 reveals some interesting comments. Five is the number of the human being: four limbs and head and also five senses. It is also the number symbolizing marriage as it combines the female number 2 and the male number 3. I am afraid all this seems rather arbitrary, and doesn't strike me as helpful in answering my question: what is it about the number 5?

Now that I've pointed out this apparent significance to myself, I can only imagine that I will continue to dwell on the cycling of 5's going forward. I may be hooked by what occurred without any explanation during the past 10 years or the mystery of why it continues to occupy my thoughts or a combination thereof. It will not be be anniversary itself that has me thinking. It will be thinking about the anniversary that has me thinking.

Next month will mark what would have been my mother's 95th birthday. December will mark the 15th anniversary of my father's death. Two grandchildren will celebrate their 5th birthdays later this summer--one in late August and one in early September. That is a lot of 5's to think about during the remaining half of 2017. It may be best to think about the full range of 5's rather than to dwell on any one or just those with similar characteristics and emotional impacts.