I love Birthdays. Growing up Birthdays in my house were a big deal. My parents did special things for our birthdays, one year they took me to Jim McMahon's restaurant in Chicago because I was obsessed with him. For my 18th birthday a limo came and picked me up at my house and drove me and my friends to and from school and for my 21st birthday I got a car. I have so many memories of great birthdays growing up. There was always a special birthday dinner and an Allen's cake. This happened for everyone else in the house also. Birthdays were just a big deal and with this in mind I have some birthday memories I would like to share with you.
Today would have been my mom's 52nd Birthday. For those of you who don't know, I lost my mom last May to cancer. She had been battling some form of cancer for over 20 years. As hard as it is on a day like today for me I can't help but to think about all the birthdays I did get to celebrate with her. Probably my favorite memory of her Birthday was her 50th. My dad and I planned a surprise party for her. All of my relatives from out of town flew in and just about every friend she had showed up. We did a pretty good job at keeping it a secret for awhile, but my mom knew something was going on. It was always so hard keeping secrets from her. She found out for sure about 2 days before the actual party when my aunt Linda flew in from Utah and surprised her. As soon as she saw her she knew there was a party in store. Of course we tried to keep her out of the details and told her she could have nothing to do with setting it up, but for those of you who knew my mom that did not quite happen. But it would not have been my mom had she stayed out of it.
I think the reason this birthday was so special to me was because this was the last birthday I got to celebrate with her. She was in the midst of battling her cancer during this time and it was so good to see so many of her friends show up and to watch her laugh and hang out with the people she loved the most. I wish we could have had many more birthday parties like that for her but I am so glad that we celebrated big for her last birthday here on Earth.
The last year has been the hardest year of my life. I miss her more than words can explain. She was not only a mom she was also a best friend. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about her and wish that I could just pick up the phone and hear her voice. The only thing that keeps me going is knowing that someday I will spend eternity with her and we can continue celebrating with Jesus by our side. I can't wait for the day when I can wrap my arms around her and hear her voice again, but for now...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!
