Make Birthdays Special
A daily reflection from my upcoming book
Joy: There’s No Reason Not To
Lessons from Under My Mother’s Roof
by Todd Keough
My Mom always has made birthdays very special. It consists of a favorite meal, a cake, and presents but much more important than that it is in opportunity to allow those we love friends and family to show how much they cherish us. It is an opportunity to acknowledge our birth and see what a blessing we have been in others lives. We also must do the same for others and let them know how much we appreciate that they were born and how much they mean to us in our lives. We get so hung up on years and ages when in reality the fact that we have made it another year shows that we are growing and learning and becoming stronger. We also get to push past that myth that younger is better and be who we are at this age and in this year. By celebrating birthdays we help to show others how to grow with grace, love, and dignity.
World:
Where is it that we celebrate birthdays who have we celebrated birthdays for? Can I take that sense of my birth and the way that I have grown into the world and share it with others? How can I acknowledge the births of others with love and really allow them to see how much I care?
Reflect, write, and take action.
Self:
How can I acknowledge my own birth and allow others to celebrate who I am and give them the opportunity to love and cherish me? How can I even inside myself acknowledge the beautiful depth of my age and my being? Do I allow others to show their affection and give them the chance to know the wisdom and grace I have from the years I have lived whether it is 20 or 100?
Reflect, write, and take action.
Prayer:
The one who has given me life and birthed me either with the energy of the universe or more deeply with a personal beautiful relationship. Please allow me the opportunity to love others by acknowledging how much their lives mean to me. Allow me to live with grace and dignity and be a living example of the life we have been given.
Affirmation:
When I get the opportunity I will help celebrate the life of someone else and tell them how much their birth means to me and to my life. I will acknowledge the depth of their existence in my life. I also will be happy and proud of my birth and thank myself for continuing to work on who I am and living with grace and dignity.