Today is my aunt Madaline’s 96th birthday. Had my mom lived, it would also have been hers. Obviously, they were twins. Even into their 90s they still looked so much alike that people who didn’t know them well would mistake one for the other. We always got a laugh out of that.
Aunt Madaline is the introvert; mom was the extrovert. Both had a positive outlook on life and laughed often, as did their father, who had a booming laugh with eyes that sparkled when he smiled. Both were generous with their time and talents. Born in Kansas, they always reminded me of sunflowers, always “turning toward the light.”
It wasn’t until I moved my mother in with me and started helping her prepare birthday cards and gifts for her siblings that I came to the realization of the siblings’ birth dates. I was fascinated when I found that July and August 14 were the female siblings’ birth dates. March and April 24 were the male siblings birth dates. These days ending in fours make it easy for me to carry on the tradition of acknowledging my aunts’ and uncles’ birthdays – at least the ones on my mother’s side of the family. Of the five of them, three are still living and in relatively good health.
The youngest was my Uncle Campbell. When he turned 89, he told my mom, who was a hospice patient, that she had to hold on until he turned 90 so all of them could be in the 90s together. He made it to 90 in March, just a couple of months before mom passed away late in May. We all got such a kick out of him. As with my grandfather, Uncle Campbell loved life, laughed often, and made friends everywhere he went. We lost him in December last year, the same year my mom passed. I found that somewhat ironic.
Last month I took brunch to the youngest sister and middle sibling to celebrate her birthday. She had married a farmer, so her life was much different from the twins’ lives. My mother and aunt Madaline worked outside of the home – mom, part time. Madaline and her husband, a WWII veteran who is 99, owned a flower shop and a department store in a small town in Kansas, before moving to the city where my parents lived. The “boys” were a Navy captain and a business executive, respectively. These siblings were close even though they lived in different states and sometimes in different countries.
On my daddy’s side, only one sibling is still living. She is a beautiful 83-year-old who looks like a 65-year-old. She loves to entertain, getting special dish ideas off Pinterest to fit the occasion. We celebrated her July 2 birthday this year with a tropical-themed brunch. (I make a point *not* to use the patriotic theme for her birthday each year.) It was a privilege to host her, her husband, and my cousins for a small gathering in Aunt Kathy’s honor. She is an amazing woman!
Of course, I like to celebrate my own siblings, too. Sadly, our brother is no longer with us physically but remains in our hearts. My sister and my sister-in-love make a point to touch base frequently – sometimes multiple times a day! While birthday gifts are no longer as important as they once were, acknowledgement in even more so. The older we get, the more we appreciate the gift of family … and of friends.
Saying happy birthday is just another way to say, “You are important to me. I love you.”
Silver Sage Sisters 