Happy Birthday to Me and You

Life is good.

Not easy.

But good.

And now that I am a caregiver, aging and the privilege thereof, takes on new meaning.

There is a saying in the special needs community that we, as caregivers, can never die.

Admittingly, I have spoken this aloud many times over.

My own "if-then" language shows up in my nighttime self-narrative. “If I live to this age, then my Gia will be this old.” 

Truthfully, I don’t truly want to live forever. Just as long as Gia. I say this with neither pride nor shame, simply in full transparency.

Apparently God got the memo. He knows my heart and has heard my desperate prayers turned pleas, because here I am, in good health; so that I can continue to be all that I need to be for my children, in especially my child that will need a lifetime continuum of support.

To say that I welcome each year would be an understatement. I frantically embrace (clutch) each year by my freakin' fingernails.

And it has become so inarguably clear to me, a person entering middlescence and a care partner for life, each day we have on this earthly plain to share with our loved ones is God-given. 

Every day we are in good health and able to spend it with those we cherish is cause for celebration.

So, many happy returns to me. And many happy returns to you.

Because you are loved and valued. And today is a gift. Your gift.

So, unwrap it, celebrate it, and practice thanks.

-Frankly Christina 💋