When you are younger the excitement of a birthday builds and builds as it slowly creeps closer. You can not wait for the special day to arrive so you can open presents and eat cake. The thrill of the tearing wrapping paper and the surprise of the gift inside is something little ones look forward to. But as you get older, and as the years roll by, you come to realize that you look forward to the special parts of a birthday, the time with family, the love that you feel, instead of the gifts wrapped in glittering paper.
As I have gotten older, my wish for my birthday is to spend time with my family. This means that I will gather close my children and husband and cherish the time with them. They are the ones who brighten my days, who comfort me when I am in tears from sadness and in pain. Who care for me when I am sick or when I need help. And it is with them that I celebrate my days.
A morning started off with breakfast in bed and smiles of love is the best way to start. And an evening hunting the back roads of my favorite Bog is the best way to end the night. Especially when that hunt rewards you with two new warblers newly arrived to the area from their winter home. Standing on the side of the road next to my bearded and handsome husband as I excitedly point out the Blackburnian and Nashville warblers is the only place I want to be, and the only way to spend a birthday.
