Turning another year...

Tomorrow is my birthday, the day I blessed and cursed humanity. I am one year closer to the ever empending age of 30.
What does my birthday mean to me? To me it means...an opprotunity to receive acknowledgement of my presence in someone's life. For example, I see it as the one day in a year of 365 days, that stands out as the time to convey sentiments and thoughts about a person. Since I have moved to ND I have failed on many, many occassions to convey MY thoughts about someone on their "special" day, and so I do not hold people to taking the opprotunity of conveying their thoughts. Actually, on my birthday I recall all the birthdays that I have not acknowledged. I think about them, but do I send a note, a card, a call? No. So I expect about the same for me too.
In my family, growing up, we had a tradition. Mom would ask us what we wanted for dinner and on our "special" day she would slave over whatever it was that our hearts' had desired. We never seemed to request anything too big or fancy, but it was that it was what we wanted that made it special! Thinking about sitting around the dinner table with my dinner of choice, and listening to the banter of my dad (he often picked such an occasion to tease), and the noises of my brothers and sisters, makes tears threaten my eyes. Following dinner, the presents would come out and knowing that there was never enough money, made each gift great. (Okay I had a bad year once when I was 18-19 and treated my gift like a snob. *The Shame I felt is still raw!*) I remember once I received a bed set and I was so excited! I could make my bed up nice and complete! Even brothers and sisters gave presents, sometimes it was their own personal items that they knew the person liked. This memory brings tears to my eyes that I can not hold back. I miss my family oh so much!
So tomorrow will probably proceed like most any other day because my family is not here and my husband is not a big birthday guy. I have not been big on birthdays for him either. So it is even. We will probably go out for a dinner with another couple and than come home. Or I will go out with the other wife after dinner and have a drink or two. Maybe I should call together some other women and we should meet somewhere. Surround myself with people. Who knows, tomorrow I'll call the game plan. :)