You never forget birthdays that are special to you… for me it was my 7th birthday and my mom orchestrated a surprise party in our garage. She did it with such secrecy and pizazz and that I will never forget… It was a typical Saturday at our house.  I had a soccer game in the morning and my mom had made cupcakes for the team instead of the usual orange slices.  I had told my mom I wanted a party but it was a week or so away so I wasn’t really thinking about anything happening until then… After the game was over, we headed home and as my mom opened the garage door, there were my friends and family waiting to say, “SURPRISE!” Indeed I was suprised.  My mom had pulled off an unbelievable birthday celebration for me and managed to keep both of my older brothers from spilling the beans!

The reason this story is so memorable is because this was the last time I remember my mother healthy… shortly after this, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and although she was a fighter, she gave up her battle on June 14, just 2 1/2 years after her diagnosis.  She was 41. She died 1 week before her 42nd birthday…

So you see, birthdays are not just special, they create lasting memories when there are no more birthdays to celebrate with loved ones gone before us…

Treasure each birthday and treasure each day… remember someone, somewhere is making a memorable birthday today.