When my son,Michael turned 5 , the school arranged for a special ceremony where they had the birthday child standing at one end of the room with two "angels" ( two of his classmates) that he was asked to select. On the other end, we, the parents sat and next to us were 5 unlit candles. The teacher then told the class Michael's story and how he found his parents from high up in the sky, and what he did at each age. Then she would say " and then he turned one" ... at this point the parent had to light one of the candles and the child would walk with his angels a little closer to the parents. We did this for every age , till he turned 5 and we lit all 5 candles and till he ended up standing infront of us. The "angels" then left him with his parents and the ceremony was completed. As a parent , I found this moving ...watching my son and listening to his story of how he travelled his life so far...even though I knew every detail intimately.
We all have our own story and we use this story to give ourselves an identity that we identify with. We sometimes defend our stories ... even if the story doesnt serve us anymore.
Its my birthday today and the picture of the cake above is the cake that my daughter helped me bake. I wanted a plate of brownies with candles on them ( inspired by the Domestic Goddess, Nigela Lawson)
A few of my friends got together in the kitchen to put this display together and as I watched them light each candle, I thought about my life...how each candle represented a chapter of my life that's brought me to where I am now. Looking back, if I had known right from the begining as to what was in store for me, I am not sure if I would have signed up to do it ... I think I would have been really afraid. Its a good thing that we get life in bite sizes, one mini chapter at a time ...one year at a time... just like my son's 5th birthday celebration. Each candle represents a learning opportunity, my own unique passage through life and how my life got lit up jus a bit little more with each year. Maybe thats why my mum has a certain glow about her... its the wisdom of years combined with the genuine love and gratitude that grows in her heart with each year!
Happy birthday to me!
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