A Birthday to Remember

On a warm September day many years ago, I gave birth to a baby girl with curly dark hair.  We named her Emily, after her maternal grandmother and her paternal great-grandmother.  Last Saturday Emily celebrated her 40th birthday.

It was no ordinary party.  Emily orchestrated it herself, inviting individuals who represented a wide variety of activities and focuses in her life during the last ten years. She referred to them collectively with a sort of childlike glee, as "my people!"  A friend offered to host the event in her exquisite Victorian home, a treasure of elegance and charm almost lost in today's culture.

Before lunch, Emily treated her guests to a tour of the historic Benjamin Harrison mansion (23rd president of the United States from 1889-1893, and personal friend of my great-grandfather) just a short walking distance away.  Our knowledgeable guide brought each of its fascinating rooms to life before our eyes.  Surely life had been hard in many ways back then, but also fine and grand.

Following the tour, we returned to sample Emily's unique, delicious homemade soups and raw vegetable dainties, and panna cotta and birthday cake provided by the hostess.

As we finished eating at linen-covered tables on the spacious porch, Emily introduced each of "my people," weaving them through the story of her last decade of life.  Her animated spirit prevailed throughout. 

I will treasure the memory of this classy celebration.  It was a reminder to live fully and gratefully, knowing each day is another chapter of an emerging, much larger, story we cannot know except by looking back.