I really look forward to the one day a year when it really is all about ME… May 23, my birthday!  May I please be completely honest with you?  When it comes to birthdays, I’m one BIG KID!  We’re supposed to gain intellect and maturity with each birthday, right?  It’s the complete opposite for me, I regress back to my early childhood! Next May, I’m going to be 60!  I actually act more like I’m turning 6! I start telling people about my birthday in February!  I’ll tell friends and strangers alike!

I have to admit, on my birthday, I like all the attention I can get!  Throughout my life, family and friends have greatly exceeded my birthday expectations! My Mom KNEW HOW TO THROW A PARTY!  Cake, ice cream, games and the works! I remember growing up having birthday parties with kids from the neighborhood!  On my thirteenth birthday, we were still living down in Florida, and we had an in-ground pool.  We invited everyone we knew!  It was a real gala event!  I think that was my last birthday in Florida, so you could say, “I went out with a BANG!”

I’ve had friends throw surprise birthday parties for me! One of them, being at the “Springdale Music Palace”- a pizza place that had a wonderful organ that played lively music while you ate. Another time, my younger sisters gave me a day of fun, ending with supper at a pizza joint I’d never been to or heard of- Uno’s Pizza.  Do any of you remember them?  They went out of business, but I loved their pizza!  Unknowing to me, they had arranged for one of my very good friends to meet us there for supper!  One year, my sisters sent me birthday greetings at work via a person dressed up like a chicken! 

Guess what? I’m going to sidetrack a little bit now! But wait, please do not grab the computer mouse, drag it to the X and turn me off (as much as I know some of you would LOVE to! Ha ha ha ha).  My sidetrack is just a good reminder, and it really does have a point to my story!  My whole life, my family has always gathered around the table and had supper together.  Even now, my sisters and I still gather around the supper table whenever it works out.  It’s a time of caring, loving and supporting each other as a family.  People, we need to “re-discover” the supper table!  We need to totally love, pray for and support each family member. We need to come to their rescue after the long, hard days, rejoice with them on the good days and build them up for tomorrow!  Here’s my point, I will always remember that for each of his kids birthday’s, my Dad said the most beautiful birthday prayer AROUND THE SUPPER TABLE!  I really miss Dad’s birthday prayers!!!! 

When I was in high school, I remember our house being the target of some “happy birthday” toilet papering jobs. One time they did it with lovely “Happy Birthday” Crete paper and another time they used real toilet paper! This really made me feel good! Way, way back when I was in high school, you were really “in and cool” if you were a victim of a toilet papering! It was all fun and games until it came time to clean it up! The Lord provided me with a group of Christian friends when I was in High School.  We even met before school started for a prayer group! Writing this post, I realize how much God took care of me in my High School days because it was a secular High School!  Now back to birthdays with Cate Ticknor! (Sounds like a reporter on a newscast! Now back to the weather with a look at the Doppler radar) 

My sister may have started a new birthday day tradition.  Let me explain. Last year for her birthday she wanted a day at home- relaxing, bringing in her favorite food!  We watched her favorite shows and played games she wanted to play!  One of the nicest things was, she wanted to do it all in our pajamas and have a “pajama day!” We had a totally fantastic day!  I told my sisters that I wanted to have a day like that for my birthday! So, they did have a day like that for me!  It was super! It was all I hoped and dreamed of! The breakfast I wanted was “Waffle House!” After breakfast, we watched some episodes of one of my favorite Shows, “All Creatures Great and Small.”  Lunch, we had with royalty, as in Burger King!  There’s just something to be said about a good ole whopper with cheese! YUM! The afternoon’s games were Euchre and Password; I love this game! We also brought in specialty drinks like frappes and cappuccinos.  Supper, I had a taste for the city, City Barbecue!  City Barbecue‘s Brisket Sandwich is a BIG favorite of mine! After supper we watched more episodes of “All Creatures Great and Small!”

Last year, my birthday was an even bigger deal to me than usual.  It was the first birthday I’d had after two and a half years of complete misery and torture.  I was going to live it up to the hilt and I did too!  It’s always fun to see how long you can stretch your birthday out, having multiple celebrations with family and friends!

On a more serious note, a lot of people will say, “I don’t celebrate birthdays anymore. I’m too old!” Hello, may I remind you that getting old is natural! We’re all going to get old!  I feel sad when people don’t like their birthday.  While I sit here and type this post, I think of all my family and friends and I am so glad each and every one of you were born!  Each one of you are valuable gifts and jewels to me! Remember that we are all daughters and sons of a loving King!  You are all God’s masterpieces, and your life is worth celebrating!  If you yourself don’t want to celebrate your birthday, call me and I’ll celebrate for and with you!  All of you are precious treasures to me personally, from God!  I think you are all worth a little cake and ice-cream and much more!