Birthdays

 What makes birthdays special for you?

As a kid I LOVED my birthday.  Parties with friends, games, yummy cake and presents.  What wasn’t to love?  While I loved all of those things, that wasn’t the best part.  The best part was all that my mom did to make our birthdays extra special.  From our foodie favorites to knowing just what we wanted.  I don’t know how she always knew, but she did.

When I became a mom, I wanted to do the same for kids.  I wanted them to know that their “birth day” was one of my most favorite days of the year.  I was so excited to celebrate them that I would start planning months in advance.  Some years I was more excited for their birthday than they were.  As we prepared to move I sifted through years of birthday cards, balloons and banners for each of them.  It was their day whether it was May 8, December 20 or March 16.

As my birthday approached this year I thought a lot about my mom and the many special birthdays I have celebrated over the years.  Whether it was my parents, my family or dear friends I have had many wonderful birthday celebrations.  I have missed being with my friends this year, but each of them reached out and made this day extra special.  

My family knows me well.  They know all I want is time together.  Whether they were in Utah, California, Tennessee, Idaho, Colorado or Maryland each of them shared with me a little of their time and love.  I love my family and the time we get to spend together.  Celebrating as a Grammy made this birthday extra special.  In less than two months I will be here for his first birthday and I can’t wait to celebrate with him.

Thank you family and friends for making January 20, 2024 an extra special day for me.