It would have been her birthday today. I spent the day sharing my memories with my boys. Remembering her birthday parties where we were usually requested to wear green, it was St. Patrick’s day after all. I remember one time when her party was at Papa Gino’s restaurant and I had to wear this awful green button down shirt with this Victorian type collar…I hated it, but it was the only green I had.  I recall a time when her mom made green ice cubes, I thought it was the coolest thing ever.

The boys like to hear the stories about us going frog hunting, making May baskets, and the time I lost my shoe in a mud hole and she carried me all the way to the house. She was good like that. She eased my sleepover anxiety, made funny faces, and helped dig a hole to China. The memories kept going all day long. I decided the elementary school playground would be the best place to sing happy birthday. I had never taken the boys there before. Gosh, I hadn’t been there in years. I pulled into the parking lot and there it was, still there. Many things had changed but the “big cheese” was still there. I introduced the boys to the “big cheese” and we sang and let the balloons fly up to heaven.

The boys played and I sat and remembered all the games we used to play. I thought about many friends today. Friends I haven’t seen in so long. Elementary school, middle school, high school. Precious memories. We then headed to the cemetery to leave some flowers and watched as a red-tailed hawk circled above us. Happy birthday dear friend. I think of you often and our adventures are still alive in my little guys. Lots of love. xo