Tuesday is my birthday.
When I was young, my mom always deep cleaned the house on my birthday. The moment I walked in the house from the hot schoolbus, the mingled scents of Pine-Sol and Betty Crocker told my nose it was September 15th. (I've passed that love down to my own children, by the way, and you should try it too if you never have! It's a very festive combination!)We always have a family party. All four grandparents are with us and that is a gift from God. We eat and open presents like you do. My grandmothers sign their cards with the same exact John Hancock they've used since I was 1. It's a wonderfully calming rhythm to see that same signature every September for 41 years in a row and know there's love in the cursive. Jim and the kids make a special dinner on my actual birthday night and I open gifts from them. Now that they are older, they often try the Pine-Sol and Betty combination and I find it endearing that my children are recreating my childhood. It's a stretching backward and forward into time simultaneously, which is really what a birthday is anyway.
I'm in my 40's now and so birthdays do feel different, but I can't get past the urge to celebrate. Another year where my Father has walked ahead of, behind, and with me. Another year of blessing. Another year of experiences that add depth. Another year closer to Heaven. I have every reason to celebrate as time goes on. So call Betty and get out the Pine-Sol! After all, it's September!