Birthdays come once a year of course and everyone I know has a different feeling about them!
Oddly, many of my friends don’t like birthdays. They say they feel old and look old. They don’t want to acknowledge that they are turning a year older!
Some other friends think of their birthdays as just another day. Nothing important, not to really be celebrated. Not a big deal.
Still others like to have things like a bonfire and barbeque! A girls’ shopping day, or even a guys fishing trip.
Of course birthday parties for young children are fun and exciting for those involved. They create precious memories with photos, momentos and special gifts.
Birthdays are precious to me. I think maybe because I was adopted, I have always felt that somewhere in the world, the woman who gave birth to me, is thinking of me on my birthday. I had the best parents I could have ever asked for, in the parents that adopted me. They always made me feel special on my birthday.
Birthdays bring people together to celebrate. Even if over the last year it’s done by Zoom! I think it’s important to recognize the birthday of someone you care for! Getting a phone call, text, or a card in the mail is always fun!
Today, my daughter Rachel turned 21. We picked up great grandma Ethel and Tony, Dawson and I traveled to Indianapolis to celebrate with her and her boyfriend Kyle. We had a nice lunch at a restaurant within walking distance of their apartment. We were blessed to be able to see them in person.
I looked at my daughter and remembered several parties from when she was a little girl. The memories were sweet and also bittersweet, as I realized, not for the first time, how fast time marches by. Wasn’t it just yesterday that she dressed up in a Sleeping Beauty costume with little high heels? Or wasn’t it just last week, she had a birthday party sleep over with a few other pre-teen girls?
21 is young, she has her whole life ahead of her. As I learn to let go and watch her fly, I remember all the other birthdays and tears slip down my cheeks.
I hope you all can find cheer and nostalgia in birthdays. Your own and those of people you love and care for!
Happy 21st Birthday Rachel Victoria, I love you so!
