There is a single day in the year which is just like any other in character. The sun rises. It sets. The weather can vary from sunny to cloudy to rainy to snow. Time passes at the same rate as any other day. The people of the world go about their business in the same way they always do, completely oblivious to the significance of this twenty-four hour period.
On this day twelve, twenty-nine, fifty-six years ago a new person was added to our world. Someone who would become a mother, a sister, a doctor, a cashier, a thief. This day is directly connected to the significance of that life. Without this day, that person would not exist. Would not be able to leave their fingerprints on the lives of the rest of earth’s occupants.
To some, birthdays are a hassle. The day reminds them that they are one day closer to death. For those people, it is easier to ignore the day of their entrance into the world than to acknowledge how long it has been since that moment.
To others, it is a milestone. What child does not dream of turning thirteen and finally being able to be called a teenager. Those magic numbers that signify that time is passing and others will now recognize how mature and responsible they have always believed themselves to be.
Some view birthdays as a time to set aside the day-to-day struggles of living and enjoy themselves.” The crazy party or the expensive present to myself are all ok because it’s my birthday! I deserve a little break once a year.” Children look forward to all the presents and the parties that come with reaching each new birthday. They plan months in advance.
When my birthday comes, it’s not the party or the presents that are important. Certainly, I love to receive presents, but not for the reasons you may think. I love to get presents, no matter the value, because it tells me that I have left a mark on someone’s life and they are thankful for my birth. A thoughtful phone call or email shows that someone was thinking about me even if I wasn’t around and that they want to brighten up my day. It is the friends and family that I am thankful to have gathered over the passing years that make my birthday special.
I take the opportunity on my birthday to send some appreciation to God for the past year and all of the successes and failures I may have faced; that I was able to learn and grow and live a little more. I also look forward to the next year and wonder, with a sense of expectation, what I will be thankful for this time next year. Will I have new friends? Will anyone remember my special day? What will I know that I don’t know now? Each birthday I pray for the strength to face each new challenge in the coming year with faith, strength and optimism, trusting that God will bring me through to another birthday with even more to be thankful for.
So that is where you will find me on my next birthday. If you stop in, be sure to bring along a homemade card and I might share with you some cake and my newly acquired experience.
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