Entering Year Two & Her Birthday

We did it. 

Easter, check.

The first anniversary of her passing, check.

Up next, her birthday. 

She would have been celebrating year 58. Honestly, she probably still is. My mom is (was) the Queen of birthday celebrations. To be sad on her birthday would quite literally be going against EVERTHING she believed about how a birthday should be celebrated. 

She loved “prezzies”. 

Gathering with her friends. 

And her joint birthday party with her fellow taurus, Caroline. 

She would often say “be grateful that I didn’t have you in May” and then ask (some may say demand) that her birthday was not combined with Mother’s Day. 

“Kids. Look at me, two separate cards” as she held up her two fingers in our faces. “Yes mom. We got it.” CJ and I, quick to synchronize our eye rolls. 

I recall being a contrarian high schooler who had a brilliant idea to get her a Mother’s Day card and cross out a few words on the card and turn it into a birthday card. The look on her face, disappointment and a bit of “you’re joking right?” still has me giggle a little bit. She couldn’t even pretend to be okay with it. 

As a mom myself, I now understand the true importance of two separate cards. What I would give to tell her that. What I would give to say “dang, $17.99? I just bought two cards” while tapping my credit card at the register.  

We have a plan. The family will be together, near the water, eating her favorite food, sipping her favorite wine, and raising a glass to her life and the day of her birth. It is a day that is more than deserving of celebration. 

As I prepare to raise my glass to her, I am comforted by the vision of her leaning over to God while at her party, and between giggles whispering  “can you please let them know that they still need to celebrate my birthday.” 

He smiles at her, and replies “they know.”