Birthdays

Birthdays are a funny thing. I have never understood why someone should get gifts on their birthday. What did I do on the day of my birth other than just show up. My mother was the one that did all the work so if anyone should get a gift it should be her.

Maybe the gift is for making it through another year. If this is the case then the gifts should get bigger the older you get. Most 75 year olds get a tie or a bottle of perfume for making it through the year and yet for a lot of these people they have never worked so hard in their life to show up for another birthday.

When I was a kid I attended a very small church that my grandfather was the pastor of . When it was your birthday, no matter how old you were, my aunt Margaret would call you up front where she would say...

"Many happy returns of the day of thy birth. Let sunshine and gladness be given. May God in His mercy prepare us on Earth for a beautiful birthday in Heaven."

Then aunt Margaret would hold up a little bank that looked like a church where we would then put a penny in for each year we had lived. This money was later sent to help missionaries around the world. I know what you are thinking right now...wow 10 whole penny's...bet that was some happy missionaries...but everyone did this, even the really old old ladies of the church.

It's funny how when you are doing something that everyone is doing you often don't think about why it is being done but it just occurred to me what was taking place. Aunt Margaret was taking a day that is usually all about us and reminding us that we weren't put here on this earth to just enjoy ourselves. We were put here to help others.

So from now on instead of having birthday parties at Build a Bear I'm thinking we should all head to the soup kitchen to help out ....hmmm...wonder for how long my kids are going to hate me for this one?