Perhaps on birthdays we should better celebrate the people who brought us into this beautiful, sometimes crazy, hectic, and challenging world!  Instead of giving gifts to the birthday girl or boy, we should bestow gifts upon our parents for getting us here in the first place. I was thinking of how those gifts to the parents would change over time and could be funny or serious! To the mom of the active, never sleepy toddler, a set of ear plugs and a pass to the day spa, ha!  Or, when dad becomes a taxi-service to teenage kids, a gasoline gift card would be a practical gift. And how about mothers and fathers in their golden years, the gift of just spending uninterrupted time could be the most appreciated “present” of all.

Today my candle count is 47! And while I don’t believe it, and I surely don’t feel like I’ve been around for nearly a half of a century, my birth certificate proves it. Instead of celebrating this day with me in mind, I will celebrate my folks who are no longer here to open presents.  I wonder what I would give them if I could today. I imagine my mother would want time-time for lunch and a day of shopping.  My father, hmmmm, the best gift I could give him would be spending the day with my mom because she would be happy, and the house would be quiet! (He did especially appreicate See’s Candy too!)

On a recent holiday to Ireland, I spent time with my mother’s middle sister. I learned more about my mom and dad, especially in their earlier years. It was an emotional experience to hear the stories-some funny, some quite sad.  With gratitude I thanked my aunt for giving me a deeper perspective about my folks.  I do understand them better now.

I was a rebellious teenager, and of course I knew it ALL, while my extremely old-fashioned folks knew nothing! At the time, I didn’t have any problem holding back my arguments about their parenting!  Today as I look at the light show on my cake, I can reminisce about my childhood knowing how much I was loved and realize my parents did their absolute best! I didn’t agree as a kid or even a young adult. With 47 candles on the cake, I whole heartedly agree now.

Starting a new tradition today: Celebrating my parents on the date of my birth.