Friday Five: Birthdays

Jan, my Revgal pal has posted today’s Friday Five:




April is a month of family birthdays for me: Today is my mother-in-law's 80th birthday and on Sunday my third child's 26th birthday, so I am thinking about birthdays. Easter would have been my mother's 93rd birthday, but she died when she was only 72 years old.


I love to celebrate birthdays, but I know others don't like to as much. My second child doesn't care about birthdays that much.


How about you? What do you think of birthdays?



1. What are your feelings about celebrating birthdays, especially your own?

I used to love birthdays when I was young. But now at +60 they don’t carry the same joy. 8>D


2. Do you have any family traditions about birthdays?

While I do have a brother, he is 12 years older than I and we were both raised as only children. Boychilde was out of the house by the time I was in school so there was no anticipation about his birthday. Mom and Dad observed their birthdays with mild to great indifference so I guess that is how I approach the event in my own life.

3. Is it easy to remember friends' and family members' birthdays? If so, how do you do it?

I have a hard time remembering what day it is! Much less when my birthday falls! Give me a break!

4. What was one of your favorite birthdays? (or your unhappiest?)

My b’day is at the end of Oct. so I always had a Halloween theme—black cakes, orange icing, ugh! I do remember Halloween costumes at one party. But the birthday I remember most was a big row when I was about 8. My father worked out of town during the week and I looked forward to his coming home on the weekend. He was active in Boy Scouts even though my brother was no longer active and the yearly camporee was always the weekend of my b’day. I so wanted him to be at my b’day party but he refused and went off to be with the boys. It became a wound that even now makes me sad, and it colored the relationship I had with my father the rest of our lives. There were other things, but it is that birthday that I remember the most.

The funniest b’day I ever had was when I was in the convent. The novices in my class were ten years younger than I and when I turned 30 they decided to really get me. They raided the geriatric infirmary for such things as Geritol, laxative, bunion pads,etc and wrapped them and put them by my door. We did not celebrate birthdays in the convent, only feast days so I knew something was up when I found all these little gifts when I woke up that morning. Since there was Grand Silence until after breakfast, I couldn’t respond for several hours and the rest of my sisters spent the morning trying to hold in their giggles!

5. Post anything else you want to share about birthdays, including favorite foods, songs, and/or pictures.

J and I usually celebrate our b’days by going to a nice restaurant, sharing a bottle of wine (depending on who is driving) or going to a movie, opera, show or whatever is available. We seldom have friends over except perhaps for a ‘big’ one. I remember that my parish choir got wind it was my b’day on my 50th.   They arrived at the rectory just before choir practice and  sang me one of those hymns with made up words to remind me of my ‘growing old’ while standing on my front steps and then we ajourned to the parish hall for cake.