Not an Unhappy Birthday

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Not an Unhappy Birthday

June 6, 2011 at 11:14 pm | Posted in Death, Grief, mother, silver lining, traditions | 4 Comments
Tags: gratitude, hope, Jake, Jewish customs, mom, Sawyer

“Don’t cry because it is over. Smile because it happened.” Dr. Seuss

Today would have been my mother-in-law’s birthday.

Last year at this time the whole family was celebrating her birthday at the beach. This year is a very different story. I do not believe that there are any rules in this area. So, I have made up my own. On Jake’s and Sawyer’s birthdays I light a candle. I want to celebrate their birth and their life.

A few other ideas about celebrating a deceased loved one’s birthday are the following:

Write the person a letter
Visit the cemetery
Release balloons
Plant a tree in their honor
Make a donation in their name
Tell stories/look at pictures
Whatever brings you any comfort (no matter how slight it might be)

The world is a better place because Jake, Sawyer and my mother-in-law were in it. Happy Birthday Shelley.

4 Comments »

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Lovely, loving ideas, Lanie. Think positive.

Comment by julie— June 6, 2011 #

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TBHITW’s birthday is on July 7th. We (the kids and I) are hosting a BBQ in his honor on July 9th. We have invited about a hundred people; people who love him and us. Being a geologist my husband has a massive rock collection. These rocks are from all of our travels, as unique as he was. We are giving each loved one a rock as a birthday gift from TBHITW. A solid piece of evidence that he existed, that he lived and had passion for life.
You are absolutely right, there are no rules; except one. “Do what makes you happy, celebrate the life” Cry not because they are gone, smile because they lived.

Linda

ps. Happy Birthday Shelley.

Comment by The Good Cook— June 7, 2011 #

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What a beautiful thought, and a beautiful picture. Perfect memories on a special day.

Comment by Daphne— June 7, 2011 #

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Planting a tree is a lovely idea. So is contributing to a charity, especially if it could help fund something ongoing like a scholarship; we once helped fund an incubator at our city’s children’s zoo.

Comment by Sharyn— June 7, 2011 #

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A Mourning Mom