Natalie Wood Birthday

Natalie would have been 74 Years old today, July 20, 2012. Had her life not been taken this may have been one of her happiest birthdays ever as a grandmother. I don't think she would've looked much different than she does in the above photograph. I think she would've aged beautifully. Her eyes seem to speak to you in her movies and in photographs. She shared her talent with the world, and I bet she would have given her fans many more movies to come had she lived. It's over 30 years now since Natalie's been gone and it's heart-wrenching to think about how 30 years can be applied to a life, especially for someone as gifted and full of life as Natalie was. It's been said Natalie packed more living into her 43 years than ten people put together could accomplish, but that kind of talk is a cop out in my opinion. There's no rationalizing her death with such statements. Yes, she lived an exciting life, but, no, she didn't get to experience all she truly deserved. She didn't get to share her young daughters' lives with them. She didn't get to see her first grandchild born. She didn't get to hold her teenage daughters when they could use a mother's comforting hug. Sure, Natalie was a woman of the world: she made movies, she traveled near and far, she had been honored for her career accomplishments, and she knew and socialized with many of the most famous people ever. But she didn't get to finish what made her happiest: sharing her life with her children. Being a mother was the happiest part of Natalie's life and offered her the most contentment, as she had said many times. In Natalie's own words she wrote: What I want most is to be like the girl next door, with a home, someone who loves me, and children. For Natalie, I'm glad she got to experience her greatest hope for the time she did, but she was a healthy woman and most likely could have lived to be blowing out candles atop a birthday cake this very day. It's beyond sad.