When I see the birthday parties which are thrown today for kids, I am sometimes left in complete awe. Maybe birthday parties have always been like this, but when I was a child we celebrated very differently. Perhaps it was because my extended family lived so close by, but almost all of my birthday parties were family parties. We got together, had cake and ice cream, and I opened gifts. What more could you ask for, really? ~smile~ When I was eight, I had my first “friend” party at the YMCA. Though it was fun, I did not expect a big party every year; and, I really don’t feel like my … [Read more...]

This Saturday is my birthday! Even though I don’t get excited like I did as a kid, there is still something special about celebrating birthdays. Hopefully, I will never get too old to thank God for another revolution around the sun. ~smile~ Birthdays have a way of making us feel an exceptional level of appreciation and compassion towards the birthday boy or girl. On my sixth birthday, I cut my hair with my grandma’s hedge clippers. It was a mistake that would haunt my hair for the next twenty-four years – yes, years. That night, I fearfully faced my mother. She did not even notice my new … [Read more...]