Birthday Bash

As expected, I turned 22 yesterday, January 4, 2008. I wanted to post something special or extravagant about the said occasion but, to my demise, the thoughts simply drifted off to an unknown hemisphere in my brain. I seriously don't know when they plan to return or something. Argh!

Last Thursday, the 3rd of January, my mom decided to celebrate my birthday with a "BANG". She told me that she'll be preparing a little gathering for our relatives on the 5th (today) in commemoration of my NCLEX-RN exam results, plus my 22nd birthday. "Wow!", I thought to myself. I was taken aback from my mother's festive spirit due to the fact that it was clearly contradictory to what I was planning. "Good luck," I said to myself. This would be something I'd like to see.

When I was a little younger (around 6 or 7), my parents would ALWAYS throw a birthday party for me. My mom never failed to cook pasta, chicken, pastries, and, of course, the inevitable birthday cake. There were visitors, family friends, relatives, schoolmates, and neighbors inside our house wishing something good for me, with a little present on the side, of course. Yet, as each year passes, the said party spirit turned into an ordinary day: no pasta, no chicken, no pastries, no birthday cakes and no visitors. Ergo, no more birthdays for you, kiddo!

With that in mind, I developed this idea that there's nothing special about my birthday; that it was just an ordinary day in my life and that no one even bothers to think about it. Not to mention that its just 10 days after Christmas and 3 days after the New year. I even remember my mom's tag line when I asked her before about my birthday which goes someting like "We'll just celebrate your birthday with the holidays. Its just a couple of days early, right?"

"Great!", I thought to myself.

I have nothing against celebrations or festivities, honestly. I want to see my cousins, talk to my aunts, argue about politics with my grandparents, herd my younger cousins to safety, and serve tons of food to my other relatives. Its just that I wanted something small, peaceful, and relaxing, to which my mom bolted as something "UNGRATEFUL."

But, come to think of it, why do I need to throw this party?

Yes, I do need to throw this little birthday bash for my relatives. They deserve this more than I do. They have been supporting me, in kind and in spirit, in all of my adventures and endeavors. They kept on encouraging me in times when I felt like I was the world's biggest failure. They've given me happiness of an unknown level during times of distress and made me laugh with their weird yet cool antics when I felt blue/depressed. These same people were there in all the 22 years of my life, whether it be god or bad. Yes, the house was a mess when they all left. Yet, when they bid farewell till our next family gathering, they never failed to leave marks of unending love in me that I consider as something priceless.

Thank you, Lord, for these wonderful people.