9/11. The anniversary unerringly brings those awful, indelible pictures freshly to our minds.
And today is my wonderful friend Lucy’s birthday. She wrote beautifully yesterday of her emotions around having a birthday on such a day. She told us of Sammy, a seven-year-old boy who didn’t understand why he couldn’t celebrate his 9/11 birthday at school with his friends with cupcakes on that day.
Well you know what? We must celebrate. We must take hands with every Lucy and every Sammy and everyone else whose birthday falls on this day because we must always, always celebrate life. We must eat cupcakes and cookies and whatever else our pleasure is.
We cannot ever forget the dead, their deaths are seared into our collective memory. But we honour them by celebrating life. We honour them by living joyfully and mindfully and by making our own lives count.
Happy birthday Lucy, happy birthday Sammy, happy birthday to everyone born on this day.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
AMEN!!!!!!!!!
As Henri Nouwen wrote:
“I think it is more important to celebrate a birthday than a successful exam, a promotion, or a victory. Because to celebrate a birthday means to say to someone ‘Thank you for being you.’ Celebrating a birthday is exalting life and being glad for it. On a birthday, we do not say:’Thanks for what you did, or said, or accomplished.’ No, we say: ‘Thank you for being born and being among us.’”
Happy Birthday, Lucy! Happy Birthday, Sammy! Happy Birthday to the rest of you born on this day!! Thank you for being born and being among us!!!!
Thank you Barbara – I like the way your emphasis on “Thank you for … being among us. Yes indeed!
Thank you Tess. A tribute to the memory of loss and to the memory of found friendships and celebrations!
xoxo
…and the celebration continues. thank you tess for these beautiful words not only for me but for each of us. my favorite new quote is from patti digh of “37 days”:
being alive IS the special occasion!
thank you barbara for those lovely birthday wishes. i am honored and grateful beyond measure!!
SS: found friendships – I like that phrase.
Lucy: I only just found patti digh but I ordered the book and it came yesterday. Am going to dive into it over the weekend.
i am loving my autographed copy of patti’s book
especially after hearing her read a few stories in person. she is really delightful and inspiring. have a great weekend!!!
Certainly. Because if we do not celebrate life on that day, as we should every other day, then those who have tried to terrorize us have succeeded. We must not let them do that. Light the birthday candles! Bring on the Light!