THE BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!!!

Okay…. now for my birthday story. What a wonderful day it was. It started early with everyone in the house pulled out of bed and rushed through breakfast to hit the flea market before the after-church crowds converged. We met up with my bestest best friend from elementary school and her daughter. What a treat that was to hang with them for the day. It had been a couple of years since we’d gotten together so we were well overdue for an outing.

It took us a few hours to tire of the endless rows of ‘treasures and bargains’ inside and out the large exhibition grounds that hosted the weekly event. The sun was shining and the outdoor stalls were in full swing for the summer season. We started out by checking prices and marking for return the plant vendors that we would hit on our way out of the market. Drawn to the smells of the magnolias that were just opening up and the star gazer lilies that had been forced into bloom we were soon drunk on the mix of aromas the swirled in our heads. Emerging from the flowers we came upon the ‘knife’ vendor with a special offer on barbeque tools ready to give us a ‘special price if you take three’.

A few rows later we were taking turns stumbled around in a 2 foot make shift dressing room to try on the $5.00 pants. We giggled as one battled the wind to try to hold the curtain closed that hung from the back of a van and another squatted to keep out of view of the gaps that couldn’t be avoided. We squinted in the reflection off the side of the van to get an idea of how the $5.00 jackets looked with the pants.

Eventually we made our way inside the building and met up with my son again who had early on given up on following three women around. He shared his great finds of hockey cards and beetle back massagers before dragged me to see a special deal on video games and new controllers for his Nintendo game player. Soon he was off again on his own to spend the last of his money on a surprise he said he would show me later.

We finally walked out of the market with sore feet, tired legs, bags of this and that, arm loads of plants, fresh fruit and even a ‘surprise frog’ my son just had to have for his aquarium. My friend and I had to chuckle thinking back upon our own youth when we would come home from a day at the swamp ponds with ‘surprise frogs’ and tad poles in jars for our own mom’s to scrunch their faces at. I heard myself echo her words as I asked my son how he planned to keep the poor thing alive outside its natural home. I was mostly just grateful to have gotten away without giving in to the puppy that was whining for my son to give him a new home.

Hungry and ready for some time in the sitting position we headed off to find the Boston Pizza my cousin had recommended for my birthday lunch. Following in her own car I led my friend on a series of u-turns, rapid lane changes and parking lot tours before finally settling in to the right parking lot outside the elusive restaurant of choice.

We had a great time catching up on each others lives and getting to know our kids a little better. What a delightful young woman my friend has brought into this world. She is destined to make a difference in our world. Her passion for helping others, for sharing from her own life experiences, for learning about her heritage and living a life grounded in acceptance and appreciation of difference is inspirational to see. What a treat it was to spend time with her and to see the pride in her mother’s eyes. The same pride and love that could be seen in my own eyes as my son entertained the ladies with his own brand of humour and storytelling. We have much to be proud of my friend and me and we exchange a few glances that shared those unspoken thoughts between us.

It was late afternoon before we exchanged goodbye hugs and promises to get together again soon. My friend has since sent me pictures that we took outside the restaurant before saying our goodbyes. Special moments captured in pictures that represent hours that have been engraved for all time in my memory of life’s joys.

Thank you girlfriends for a wonderful day. Thank you my boy for sharing me with my special friends. You are the sunshine of my life.

And as if that wasn’t enough…. I came home to find more than a dozen phone messages and emails from friends and family wishing me a happy birthday…… how blessed am I. Thank you everyone for the gift of your love.

It was the very best birthday ever!!!