My parents never seem to get older. It feels as if they stay the same age forever—it’s just the age that they are as my parents. But this month, my mother will turn 70. Seventy is not old, it’s not young, it just is.
My siblings and I are going all out, as we should. My brother rented a suite at Citi Field, where the Mets play—Mom’s a big fan. My family is flying in bearing gifts. Mom wants a FitBit and an iPod shuffle, so the rest of the weekend will be spent teaching her how to use these things, but that’s ok—she’s 70, she can have whatever she wants. My 94-year-old Grammy is coming up from Florida. We’re planning to see a show in New York with the grandkids. It’s going to be a great weekend. I love this about my parents: They don’t shy away from any reason to celebrate. Many women abhor birthdays, but not my mom. Not dad either. For his 70th, he wanted a big party—and he got it. It was another “command performance for the entire family” weekend. All the relatives came in and we partied, and it was awesome.
My birthday is the day after my mother’s. One of the greatest gifts she has given me is the lesson to enjoy my birthday. This month, I will turn 43. My gift to myself was a Groupon for Botox. (Hey, I can enjoy my birthday and still look good!) At mid-life, the presents sometimes become less exciting. On my actual birthday I plan to spend the morning in the new Andersen Windows factory in Bayport, MN watching the windows be created for my remodel project. I am over-the-top excited about this! It may not seem sexy to you, but for me… BEST.PRESENT.EVER.
This weekend, Mom and our entire family will celebrate life, health, the shot at another year to grow and become better people, and the opportunity to witness all the mitzvahs of loved ones. Throw in a baseball game and some Botox and that sounds like a perfect birthday.
This week, I wish you many more birthdays to celebrate your life and loves.
