A precious moment from early 1961, captured just days after the family welcomed their newborn. In his journal dated 5/6/61, he wrote about the whirlwind surrounding their move: “Moved from Andalusia where we had lived five years of married life… to this temporary place on the corner of Doheny.” Amid the chaos of packing, searching for a home, and settling into a new life, their son arrived — “ten days old, born at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital on April 26th.”
He described those days as both hectic and full of promise. While caring for a newborn, he was also deep into his latest suspense story: “I am working on a suspense story (THE GOLDEN TAPESTRY) laid in Istanbul, and busy as can be.” Yet even with deadlines and stress, the moment of becoming a father brought clarity and inspiration.
The birth announcement was something he crafted during the quiet, anxious hours of waiting: “On this day I was born a boy, weighing 6 lbs 10 oz… and was given my book of years, all the pages blank, to be composed by my own hand.” He left the weight and sex blank, ready to fill them in the moment they heard the news.
This photo, taken around the same time, reflects exactly what his journal captured — joy, exhaustion, love, and the beginning of a brand-new chapter for their young family.
