Today I am 45.
My birthday was fairly typical. Most of the usual traditions were firmly in place...
Every birthday, for as long as I can remember, tends to come with a bit of allergy or virus. The result is that I sound like Demi Moore or Kim Carnes on my birthday. This year, I have suffered a little from the allergies, but my sweet sons have decided to carry on that tradition and save me the trouble of the real hard stuff. As I type this they are on either side of me, one running a temp of 102, the other 101. They are both coughing and moaning and sound much more like Johnny Cash than Demi Moore. But this is better than Dillon's usual birthday "gift"
Dillon tends to have some kind of unusual medical mishap on the day of my birthday. The initiation of this tradition began many years ago when he suffered a concussion by falling (or by being tripped by his brother who shall remain nameless) and hitting his head on the hubcap of my car. That was the first birthday spent in the Emergency Room. Emergency Room Birthday Celebration memories soon included a fall which knocked out his two front teeth and many and various migraines. We began to joke that we should wrap Dillon in Bubble Wrap for the entire month of September. And I know that I probably pray a little harder for him during the fall months. It worked.. and with the exception of what he insists is the plague, he made it through my birthday unscathed. Cody decided to stand in the gap for him though.
Cody woke up early yesterday morning, because he finds it hard to sleep while he's coughing his lungs out of his body. He decided to try to eat something healthy and chose a granola bar. I woke up to Cody telling me he had a problem.
I have to interrupt the story here to explain something about Cody. He has Sensory Issues. The tiniest sound can make him crazy and the faintest smell can cause gagging. He needs enough pepper to choke and elephant and if that elephant were to stomp on his knees, he might notice anything but a tickle. He has grown up with undiagnosed ear infections, sore throats, tooth aches etc.. simply because he doesn't seem to notice. So when he says he has a problem, he usually reveals something close to blood poisoning.
Anyway, Cody told me he was eating granola and thought he had chipped a crown. His crown is stainless steel and probably quite difficult to destroy, even with the dryest of granola, but I have to admit, I looked and it certainly appeared to a be a sliver of metallic silver that was not where it was supposed to be and where it was not supposed to be was sticking out of his gum. And he was miserable. If he was saying it hurt, that meant that is would have already knocked anyone else out. So I called the dentist, got an immediate emergency appointment, suffered through a variety of x-rays and x-ray technicians (all to beat that gag reflex during the x-rays) and waited patiently for the doctor to come in and tell us how much a new crown was going to cost.
Imagine our relief and absolute embarrassment as the doctor simply removed a very sharp toothpick like piece of granola from his gum. The crown was perfect, and we paid for our very expensive emergency flossing and left feeling foolish and vowing to never eat granola again.
Oh, and just for good measure, to make sure odd medical mayhem was covered for my birthday, Jim decided to go ahead and try and pass a kidney stone last night.
My family loves me enough to make sure that all the traditions are covered, and I'm so thankful because there was one they couldn't cover this year.
This was the first year that my birthday did not commence with a call from the one who had been there with me since the very first one. My mom is celebrating in a more heavenly place right now.. far away from sickness, and dental emergencies, and kidney stones. She is with the One who authored all our birthdays and planned all our days. And as much as I am both jealous of and thrilled for her, I miss her! Some days more than I can bear. And on those days, on this day, my love for her turns to tears.
I didn't hear her voice today, but I did hear her. She is still inspiring me, still encouraging me. She was my biggest cheerleader and although I have been lax.. not doing things I know she would want me to be doing...I've decided it's time to get back in the game.
I want her to be proud of me! I still need that, even if I am 45 today.
On that note.. Today was the 75th Anniversary of the publication of The Hobbit. I LOVE that I share a birthday with Bilbo Baggins! I learned something new today as well.. Tolkien was 45 when The Hobbit was published, the same age I am now. It's not too late! I've only just begun! And with the best cheerleader ever cheering me on from Heaven, how can I fail?!
