February 6,2012

February 6th has always been a day I celebrate, personally and occasionally,a little selfishly. I was born on this day in 1966. My parents and family were always big on celebrating events, and birthdays were no exception. I felt special when my Mom put together a party for each of us on our day, and my dad and his family celebrated events in their home as well. They let us choose what cake we wanted, I often chose Carvel with the chocolate crumb middle, or the cream cake from the bakery on Front St.
As I got older, we still made note of it, but my own kids took center stage when it came to parties. There was the one embarrassing party that included a giddy clown on a sweltering July afternoon, (the first and last clown party)

Me on 2/6/12

But, lately, I've been reconsidering this day to mean more than doing something for myself. One idea I read about was Will Smith and his family donating to a charity on their birthdays, which is something I am looking into. Donating clean water to impoverished areas is one way they help that I am interested in being involved in.
 This year was a little hard for me to enjoy because someone special lost their courageous battle with cancer. I didn't know her in person, but know her family and have read her blog, called Baldie's Blog.
She wrote about her treatments and the hopes she would beat it so her son would have a mom to grow up with. My heart felt heavy when we heard she had liver failure. In a way, I felt privileged that her passing from this life to the eternal was on this day. It sounds kinda weird, but I'll always remember her and do something special for someone else in memory of Hillary. I felt guilty from feeling relief that she isn't in pain anymore, and I hope it doesn't offend anyone. I'm not glad in any way but knowing she's not fighting for her life any more <3
 Her blogs helped many cope with their own life battles and her strength and warmth will be her lasting legacy. We can only hope we have a positive influence on others and be remembered with a smile.

Hillary's blog  can be found at
http://baldiesblog.blogspot.com/

Hillary the Courageous!

Reach out to someone and let them know you care!
Love and blessings,
~Lori