It's My Birthday and I Go Hard

I just celebrated another birthday and someone commented that I really “go hard” celebrating my birthday. I responded, "Well, I don’t know about all of that." But after thinking about it, I had to agree. I do love celebrating my birthday because if I am celebrating, I am alive! Yes! I have another opportunity in life to make things right, to do better, to see things I’ve not seen before, perhaps understand things previously not understood, and continue moving forward on this life journey of transformation. I have family and friends to love on, books to read, places to go, and dreams to dream!

I’m not one to say “My birthday is just another day,” or “I’m just a year older.” Nope! My birthday is an opportunity to honor life, God-given life. To treat someone with respect and acknowledge that they are gifts God has placed in our lives. So, what better day to purposely honor someone than their birthday? I love hearing about people taking off work on their birthday, celebrating for a week, and even all month long! Pat yourself on the back.

When we honor a person on their birthday, we acknowledge that they are the one and only, one of a kind, unique and particular! I am the only me. Yes, there are other women named Wanda but, none of them are me! Even identical twins are unique individuals. As much as they may look alike or have similar traits they have individual fingerprints. In as much as they are alike, they each remain one of a kind. And isn’t this what we miss when our loved ones and friends are no longer with us? We miss their one-of-a-kind; their Divine design.

I’ve always made a point of honoring birthdays but in December 2014, I experienced a life-changing event that made birthdays of greater importance. My family enjoys Christmas and we used to meet for breakfast/brunch and we would exchange gifts at this gathering. That year, I pulled my sister Thomasina’s name. Since her birthday would be in January, I thought I would get her a really, really nice gift that would serve for both occasions. I was super excited because I felt I had found her the perfect gift. Afterall, I knew her tastes well. When I wrapped it, I thought, wow, Sina is really going to like this. For days, I felt urges to give it to her early but I chalked it up as my excitement. I remember telling my husband how excited I was and asking if he thought I should give it to her early. We both agreed I should wait for Christmas. Well, my sister passed unexpectedly on December 21. I was devastated! Looking back, I don’t believe it was just excitement that kept nudging me to give Sina her gift early and I so wish I had. Now birthdays aren’t just about gifts. I hope you don’t miss my point which is, at every opportunity, honor the gift of one’s life, and birthdays are a natural time to do so.

My youngest sibling, Regina, passed within 18 months of Sina. At that time, Psalm 90:12 “Teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” and James 4:14 “You do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.” became very sobering words. You see, they are my youngest siblings. Who expects the babies to go first?

Our elders would say, “Give folk their flowers, while they can appreciate them.” I totally agree. So, my birthday and the birthdays of my loves will always be a big deal to me. And, I hope that your birthday is a big deal to you. You are a one-and-only, one-of-a-kind, unique, and particular divine design. You should be celebrated.

#Honor-Life

Always encouraging reflection,

WandaP