I went to a birthday party tonight. Little Mr. Titus turned seven. Birthday parties, such as these, always give me cause to think back about my own childhood.
But there was Titus tonight, the middle child in his family now. His younger brother was pretty oblivious to the importance of turning 7 years old. He’s just hitting the 7-month-old mark himself.
Titus’ older brother, Isaac, was there every step of the way, during the present-opening, and cake-eating. Smart kid. He even helped Titus count his birthday moola. Twice.
And Titus made the perfect birthday boy today. He even thanked the crowd for all the gifts.
Being there this evening, singing Happy Birthday, sharing in the celebration of the day… all reminded me of times long gone. I’ve had a lot of birthdays, that is for sure.
As a kid, I don’t remember having many birthday parties. Not other than Mom baking a cake, for us to enjoy, after our evening meal. And with all our family photo albums, there is no photographic proof…. save for maybe one party.
Regardless, somehow, the day always felt like it was very special. I am not sure if it is something Mom & Dad did, to make the day feel that way. Or if it is simply our internal clock, reminding us of the day we busted IN to this place.
But here we all are. And we share that in common. Each of us, born into this world…. for the most part …. in the same exact way. As embryos, then fetuses, we spent our time in lock-up until our release date. Then our Moms spring us from the slammer.
And here we are. From that point on, it is all a journey. From navigating our 7th birthday parties to seeing our parents turn 77. And then ourselves.
A journey with a lot of stops and starts along the way. A whole big bunch of learning, and growing.
And even though, we continue to grow in someway, each day…. it doesn’t mean we have to grow old. So Happy Birthday to us all… again… and again… and again.
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“Lighten up on yourself. No one is perfect. Gently accept your humanness.”
― Deborah Day
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“An awake heart is like a sky that pours light.”
― Hafiz
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“Start with big dreams and make life worth living.”
― Stephen Richards
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