"Birth" days

Since joining the Facebook community and getting birthday updates for my friends, I realized that shortly my birthday reminder will be infiltrating cyberspace. This started my thinking about birthdays and their relevance in society in general and in my life in particular. When I was younger, I loved my birthday. It was the one day that was mine and wasn't shared with sisters or friends. I fondly remember a birthday party at my grandfather's cottage at Valley Glen, PA. It was a very special day for me. But as I grew older, the act of marking the day I physically arrived here became less and less important. I began to wonder why. At first I thought it probably had something to do with not wanting to admit getting older - we all go through that phase, I believe. I began to realize that there were other times in my life that were "birth" days for me emotionally, mentally or spiritually. These times seem much more worthy of a celebration than a specific date on the calendar.

A few of my true "birth" days: the day I climbed to the ceremonial kiva at Bandolier, when I held my newborn daughters, the phone call telling me that Cowboy Billy was going to be published - and I would have rather have had my dad back than have the book, reading Cowboy Billy with my mother the first time, mesmerized by 120 students singing "Do You Hear the People Sing" and knowing at that moment we weren't teacher and students, we were family, hearing, "I love you, deva."

Although the calendar birthdays will continue to come and go, it is the other "birth" days that I will now celebrate. I look forward to many more moving and wonderful "birth" days as I travel through time.

Quick note, of course! I will be signing books at Books -n - Things in Norway, Maine, this Saturday, July 24th from 11am - 1pm. Stop by and say hello if you are nearby. A very happy Un-birthday to you!