Happy birthday! For all I know, you may be celebrating your birthday today, tomorrow, next week, or sometime later this year.

 

In my small family, there are two significant birthday months and one solitary outlier in August. The two major months are March and May.

 

You may have noticed on the calendar that we are already in the first week of March. We have three birthdays this month—more on those in a minute.

 

May is approaching quickly, and we have three birthdays to celebrate: two for our boys and one for me. My birthday is recognized across North America. Some call it Cinco de Mayo, but I prefer the more accurate term Cinco de Leso. Laugh if you want, but don’t forget when that special day arrives.

 

In the meantime, let’s return to March. By the time you read this, we will have celebrated a 19th and 27th birthday. Sometime later this month, we will celebrate she-who-must-not-be-named on her 39th birthday again (and again and again and again).

 

We do not advertise her age or refer to it at all. That’s top-secret, compartmentalized information you are not cleared to know. I possess that knowledge but have been instructed to forget anything numerical except for the date on the calendar. I’m not even supposed to share my age for fear that you will use that number to figure out hers. To do otherwise invokes a state secret act that takes me off the table.

 

Sometime when it is safe to share, I’ll let you in on a previous birthday occasion for her. Indeed, I learned a valuable lesson about birthday cards and who certain cards are made for. Acquiring that knowledge only caused me a mild case of PTSD. That, of course, serves as a reminder as the day draws near.

 

Aren’t birthdays fun? They should be! Everyone deserves to experience birthdays filled with celebration and love. Unfortunately, I’ve visited parts of the world where life is tough and birthdays are overlooked. Even worse, I know someone who has never experienced what it’s like to be celebrated. I hope we can change that soon.

 

In the meantime, happy birthday! If it isn’t your birthday today, pretend it is—or better yet, act as if it’s someone else’s. Celebrate the people in your life and give them a reason to know they are valued and loved. It costs very little to spread joy. And, as Jesus once said, “It is better to give than to receive.”

 

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.”