Dear Caroline,
On Wednesday we celebrated my mom’s birthday. Thomas bought steaks and we made a red velvet cake. It was a fun celebration. Thomas made such a huge deal about it. He was literally so excited he couldn’t sleep the night before my mom’s party.
Thomas’ family never really did birthdays big. They were subdued occasions without much joy. In my family, birthdays were huge! We got two/three parties a year. We had a party with our friends and another with our family and sometimes a birthday dinner just us to go along with it. I have come to revere birthdays. Especially after last year where three unexpected and one expected deaths occurred right after each other, I have come to treat birthdays as sacred as a holy days.
I’m watching P.S. I Love You and it has an amazing quote about age and death. Daniel, a friend of the main character, says to a grieving widow after seeing a gloriously in love elderly couple, “We're so arrogant, aren't we? So afraid to age we do everything we can to prevent it. We don't realize what a privilege it is to grow old with someone, someone who doesn't drive you to commit murder, who doesn't humiliate you beyond repair...that's sweet.”
I remember the last birthday we had with my granddaddy. We had a huge fish fry at his house- at the house we’re living in now- and everyone came. I think we all knew that it was going to be the last one. We talked and shared and celebrated his life. I wonder why all birthdays aren’t celebrated this way? If each day truly isn’t promised, any birthday could be our last one. We really should savor each one. We should celebrate each person everyday but at the very least on his or her birthday!
I really do love birthdays and enjoy planning for them. We make a huge deal of them in our classroom. I always try to make Thomas’ extra special since he went so long without special days. I love that I get to share them with him and can’t wait to share them with you
Wish #15: I wish for many, many birthdays with you.
Love always
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