on birthdays and celebrations

today is choir director rannie's birthday (life begins at 40.. or so they say, haha). yesterday (jan04) was friend carolle's 18th (she's now officially a lady hahaha) and student charm's 16th (happy sweet!). hmm. birthdays and celebrations. do they always go hand in hand?

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i prepared my own packed lunch this morning (haven't done that in a looooong time) - dumplings, rice and rhum cake. not exactly standard fare, but i was looking forward to it. anyway, charm informed me that she turned sweet sixteen yesterday.. and she'd be treating her classmates and other friends to lunch today. haha. great. i picked a great day to bring my own lunch :p oh well.. i ended up thanking her for her treat.. and left my own food untouched hehehe.

friend carolle, on the other hand, seemed down in the dumps. i suppose she had a 'blue birthday' yesterday. hmm. wanted to give her a call just to ask how she's doing. but from the way she was responding to my texts when i greeted her on jan04 (1:00am), i guess i'd better wait for a better time :p [and no.. 1am is not an ungodly hour to msg her. she, like me, is a 'night' person] i'm not exactly sure if she "celebrated" on her birthday.. but i certainly hope her mood improved since the last time i talked to her.

now i don't know how cdr is spending his birthday today. maybe with friends and family. but certainly he'll be celebrating. hehe. this is one *very spoiled* guy. don't ask me to elaborate.. hahaha :p
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hmm. i'm suddenly reminded about my birthday last year. it wasn't eventful.. wasn't exactly what i'd call joyful or 'celebratory.' but it was special. oh, i didn't get my birthday wishes.. and i was heartbroken at the time. i had a lot of burdens and things that weighed heavily on my mind. and yet, it was a moment of grace.. where the Lord made me feel the love of so many people, in the midst of loneliness and a deep sense of loss.

what's so special about birthdays, anyway? why all the fuss and excitement? and is there really reason to celebrate? hmm. honestly.. i'd have to say yes. no matter how sad one may feel.. or how bad things seem to be. there's always a reason to celebrate and be thankful. this quote says it quite well, actually:

"The more you praise and celebrate your life,
the more there is in life to celebrate." -Oprah Winfrey

birthdays are special moments of grace. call me naive.. but i believe that on these days, God is more inclined to grant our prayers and petitions. hmm. or maybe on these special days, He gives us an additional sprinkling of wisdom.. to see His workings in our lives, and to marvel at His perfect plan for us :) so that in the end, we end up asking Him for what He intended to give us in the first place :)

yup.. there really are so many reasons to celebrate life, love and the Lord :) not just on birthdays.. but everyday :p