I remembered, though I’m not quite sure how, and I prayed for her – added my whisper to the millions that ascended to Heaven on her behalf.  It’s his birthday today, easily on the top 5 list of impossibly rough days in this, her first year of widowhood.

Birthdays are her thing.  I have a friend like that, and would enjoy nothing more than giving this friend the biggest blowout surprise birthday party she couldn’t imagine – several other friends of ours surely feel the same.  But how would her bright eyes darken, her perky countenance fall, if she were in this other woman’s place?  How could we encourage and lift her up, carry her through such a day, when her heart longs to celebrate the day her beloved entered the world, yet finds itself too full of grief over the day he left it?  I don’t know.  Tricia’s friends & family don’t know, but they’ll give it all they’ve got, she’s got those kinds of friends & family.

My friends and family are also celebrating birthdays today.  My cousin, a precious little guy who seems to be taking after his dad, is turning one.  His first year is done, with the funny rolling across the floor and the struggle to learn this thing called walking.  I wanted to be there, wanted to meet him before these twelve months got by us all, but the calendar pages turn at their own pace, much faster than mine.  I’m thankful for the chance to meet him, just a little, through the internet, and looking forward to the day when I can give him a real hug (and his mommy & daddy).

My first “grandchild” turned two today.  Welcome to the stereotype year…with a little brother or sister soon to join.  It’ll be an adventure, to be sure.  I met him once, an active little guy, and he too has a small dossier on the internet.  A blessing to those who want to share in the lives of others, a curse to those who want to retain privacy.   Here’s another one I want to see again, though I must admit I’m a bit more interested in his mommy – I’ve known her longer, in person.

I sent love notes to my two boys, well, to their mommies… it was less than I’d like to do, but pretty much all I can do at this point.  They won’t know the difference, really, but perhaps their parents will get the idea that I remembered their special days.

The same goes for the man who left two boys behind, not by choice.  He doesn’t know that I wished him a happy birthday (even though there are no calendars and no lack of happiness in his new home), but God knows that I joined in the chorus of prayers for his family on this, his birthday.  May they remember a thousand reasons to celebrate the life that was his.