Birthdays. Wonderful times. The milestones of life. But they become just much of a muchness after a while, don't they?
The years add up and become indistinct from one another.
Heaven forbid if your birthday is associated with something bad - some people just don't want to go there.
But there is much to celebrate - whoever you are.
Reflecting on my own birthday yesterday, it seems that the best thing about a birthday is having the friends to celebrate it with. It's an opportunity for life's companions, the people who love you, to remind you how much they do just that: just - love - you.
It's not really about the milestones is it? They soon stack up.
Birthdays? It's not so much all about me, but realising how much I am loved by others.
It's not only about celebrating another year. It's about basking in the understanding that your world is not really just 'little old you', but all the other special people who are in it too, one of which just happens to be you.
It's not about the gifts. It's about knowing that it's the other people in your life who give you the power to be who you are (without them, you wouldn't be you, you'd be... someone else). And that all the God-given talent you have only manifests itself in your relationship with others.
And it's not about the number of friends you have. It's about knowing that life can't always be like this. Times change. Sometimes a birthday might appear to be the loneliest event on earth...
...But keep looking, friends can be there, particularly in Christian community, to help you know you never need be lonely for long.
And if you know it's someone's birthday, make sure they know how much you love them, perhaps a bit like Tony did below (one of the best stories ever)...
