Birthday Number 25


Twenty five years ago, today, I had my very first (and last) police escort.
To the hospital.
I was rushed past admissions and up to the floor where I was monitored, probed and prodded, and declared a wimp and was sent out to walk the halls in a lovely hospital gown.

In anguish, I gripped the railings in the hallway as each labor pain ripped through me as onlookers stared.

After a few minutes of this unrelenting torture, I asked to go back to my room, where it was discovered that I wasn't so wimpy after all- my baby was coming, and coming very quickly.

My firstborn son was about to be born, and he was in a rush to enter this world.

And ever since he has been in a rush to live his life.

Birthdays have come and gone, and many a celebration we have had.

Each one a special rite of passage for the boy rushing much too fast to become a man.

Today, he turns 25.

A quarter century.


A man.


Today he will be showered with love, attention, birthday dinners and special cakes and wonderful celebrations like every other birthday he has ever had. But this one is made more special by the fact that his love is making all the preparations. Today, is his 25th birthday and it's a wonderful, special day.

With one exception:

Today, his parents are celebrating with him from afar.
Today no streamers hang from our chandelier, no balloons are strung from our mantle.
There are no party themes that include gold teeth or army men that were picked by his sister.
No birthday breakfasts in bed with homemade bagels or cinnamon rolls.
No spaghetti is simmering on the stove, and no cheesecake is chilling in my fridge.

And it's........ hard for this mama.

 You see, birthday's at our home are HUGE.
We minimize other holidays, but birthdays??
They celebrate the individual, and to us that's a BIG DEAL.
Dad always takes the day off.
Golf is played, parties are had.
We have never been apart for even one birthday, until today.



So it's about killing me that we aren't there with him to celebrate.
But for the boy, who has become a man, it is another wonderful rite of passage.
He gets to celebrate with his love.
He gets to start new birthday traditions.
It's good.
And it's just like that very first day we welcomed our son, on August 9, 1986.

Filled with both joy and anguish.

Happy Birthday Son.
We love you so.
I know your day will be amazing.
Enjoy your special day.



Comments

  1. AmyAugust 9, 2011 at 7:55 PM

    Give him our love and wish him a happy birthday for us!!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How Can It BE??

Image
It's been almost a year since I've posted and for some strange reason, I found a few extra minutes in my day( crazy, huh?) and thought I would catch-up the TWO WHOLE people who might still be checking in now and then. On May 11, 2014 our world was changed in the sweetest way with the birth of our granddaughter. And GUESS WHAT?!? All those stupid , ahem , quippy things said by grandparents everywhere, are, in fact, TRUE! She is the sweetest, smartest little treasure EVER and I would definitely have been a grandma first if I knew how amazing this is. (Sorry, kids.) And we have the privilege of having her 1-2 days per week, which makes this MiMi blissfully happy but also a tad busy. She is now 10 months old, and can tell you what an elephant and a lion says. She is determined to grow up as quickly as she possibly can, and plans to start walking yesterday. She is a GO-GETTER and is on the move. Having her weekly is such a precious gift. I love it that my grown kiddo...
Read more

The Blessinngs of the Lord make rich...

Image
 Matching PJs and ready for bed. Aren't they adorable?  My and ALL FOUR of my daughters. My cup really runs over!!  Gianna and Celia. I am glad that we prepared ourselves for CP. She is only hypontic in her neck, but she is spastic in her arms, so she is resourseful and uses her feet to grab toys you hold up for her. She is happy, smiley, and sweet as sugar. I am not upset so understand I am saying this as more matter of fact, but she is like a 6 month old in every way. I pray for her sake that some good therapy and nutrition will help her tremendously. She is definitely on the more severe end of CP. We are not shocked, in fact I really expected this end of the spectrum. Please don't feel "sorry" for us or her. She is a blessing and we are privileged to be called to such a child.  Right after we got back to  the hotel room. Sofia only wants ME or Aria. Or she is crying pretty hysterically. We don't mind- at least I have some one to take turns with if I need ...
Read more

Oh what a difference 24 hours makes.

This morning, the PICU nurse announced that we would be moving to the floor today.  I argued with her. I begged. I offered lunch and dinner for the whole PICU staff if they would keep us just one more night.  You see,I spent last night pressing her morphine button every 30 minutes all night long. The nurse came in every hour. She had to check her THREE IVs. Her chest tube that was draining a tremendous amount of blood. Her pain was hard to manage. Her heart rate elevating was our biggest clue, because she never complained. She had a high level of oxygen needed to keep her stats up.  I liked the comfort of knowing that we had one nurse, right outside the door, whose only job all night long was to monitor Gianna and fix every problem as it arose. The nurse laughed and said, "Don't worry she'll be ready. Oh, and she needs to get up and walk today..." What?!??!? It has been LESS than 24 hours since she had major surgery. And then the flurry started. Xrays were taken. Thre...
Read more