“This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”
Psalm 118:24.
In a blink of an eye we now find ourselves on the eighth month of the year. We have a normal tendency of saying that “time flies by.” I don’t know about you, but this year has completely flown to me!
I am always looking forward to this month as so many special celebrations. In Honduras, for example, it is the month dedicated for Families. We also remember the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It also means summer, lovely trees and flowers, holidays, and even my birthday. This year, it is even more special because we celebrate my baby boy’s first birthday!
There is something magical about celebrating birthdays when you are a child. I have such special memories of my childhood celebrations which meant sharing time with family and friends, having food, a delicious cake and our traditional piñata filled with sweets and surprises. I remember my Grandma Lila would gather all of us around the cake, we would sing the “Feliz Cumpleaños” song, followed by a wish, short blessing and prayers said by different family members. At the end, we would all sing: “Let us thank the Lord, Let us thank the Lord, Let us thank the Lord”
As first time parents, we had plans on how we would celebrate our baby’s first year with our family and friends. Due to the our present Covid-19 circumstances, like many other families, we decided that it would be best to change our plans, hoping we will be able to celebrate in the near future.
At first I felt a bit sad about not being able to have a small birthday party, but then I realised that even though we couldn’t physically gather, there are many ways that we could still celebrate.
Thanks to technology, we were able to sing ‘Happy Birthday’ together with our loved ones, who sent lovely birthday wishes making it a very special day.
Birthdays are indeed such a perfect time to reflect on God’s blessings: to celebrate the Gift of Life and Love. As I look back to the last 12 months, there has been a magical transformation for all of us, his little body has gone through so many changes, different milestones achieved while we all continue to learn something new every day.
The same thing happens to us every year. Every birthday represents a new beginning. God gives us a new book with 365 precious blank pages filled with graces and opportunities for us to write our own stories with faith, hope and love.
What childhood memories do you have from your birthdays? Maybe you will be celebrating your birthday soon or maybe you already celebrated it. I invite you to take some time to reflect on your life, in God’s faithful love and perfect timing for everything knowing that you are His marvellous creation, for “He has made everything beautiful in its time”. Ecclesiastes 3:11