Birthday Eve

Today is my "birthday eve" and I am feeling every year of my age. I am not complaining - just acknowledging. It always seems like my birthday lasts for a week or maybe more and that is just fine with me. I was taught by my mother that a birthday is special. It is the day that belongs only to you and, therefore, with her meager circumstances, she always made it a special time for me. I miss her now as I write this blog. She had a beautiful soprano voice and she sang as she worked in her house or yard and in those days of my childhood it irritated me that she sang in front of my friends; embarrassed me really. Oh, how I would love to hear "Trust and Obey" one more time. But back to my story, she would wake me up singing "Happy Birthday to you Patsy Belle" and I would cringe, shudder, scream and cover my head with my pillow. It was bad enough to be waked up but to hear Patsy Belle was over the top. My toast would have a face drawn on it in jelly and my juice would be in a special crystal glass and my milk (which I hated for breakfast) would also be in a crystal glass. That would start my day. I feel so blessed to have had such a delightful woman for my mother and I feel doubly blessed that I was born in the month of October. This month, with the change of the season, the leaves turning their beautiful colors, the orange color of the pumpkins that are adorning everybody's porches and all of the other Halloween decorations, the crisp mornings, the warm afternoons and then the cool evenings makes for lovely days and also I love the Fall clothes - sweaters, shawls, shoes that are not sandals, even hats and gloves when necessary. I remember walking to East High on those crisp October mornings when dew would be on all the cars that were parked on the street and the acorns and walnuts were all over the ground and then when the leaves would start falling it was so much fun to crunch them as I walked. As the song goes "those were the days, my friend, we thought they'd never end", but they do end and new lives take place. My high school sweetheart became my husband and together we had 46 years of marriage and were blessed with 4 wonderful daughters (none of which were born in October) so on this beautiful October morning as I plan for brunch with my daughter and a day of shopping and fun I just want to remind myself and everybody else that God is good - all the time.