Monday, July 26, 2010

Glitter and Glue

So this year I had a birthday.

Way back in March...March 17th to be exact.  St. Patty's Day.  St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland and is said to have driven snakes out of the country side during a particularly rough infestation.  And I hate  really dislike snakes.  I find that very interesting that I was born on his birthday.  He must have done other things to become a patron saint, but I don't know about anything else...just the snakes.

How does one become a patron saint?  I will have to look that up and share that knowledge with you.

Any way...I turned 35 this year.  No biggie really, age is just a state of mind...until 40.

Birthdays aren't really that big a deal here around Chez DeLap.  We celebrate small...dinner, cake, gifts.

I really think that our birthdays are really more about our mothers.  They are the ones who did all the work.  Marcus told me that while his grandfather was alive, he would buy his wife flowers every time one of their girls had a birthday.  The same year he told me that, I read an article about Jamie Lee Curtis, who said she called her mother every year on her birthday to thank her mother and tell her she loved her.

I became aware that my birthday was more about my mother than me after my mother had already passed away.  And my family does not honor me on the kids birthdays.  Bastards...

So on my birthday this year, I chose to do something so frivolous and indulgent and deeply nourishing...so that no one had to honor me on any day of the year...because I honored myself.  And in honoring myself, I felt I had honored my mother and the gift of Life and the gift of Love she gave me.












Yes...on my birthday this year I spent the whole day playing with glitter and glue.  And there wasn't any good reason to do so.  I just wanted to.  

I took old post cards and birthday cards and thank you cards that I have kept because I liked them so much and turned them into bookmarks and pretty things...pretty things with glitter.

It was certainly Happy Birthday to me! 

And then my family came through with the loot!



From my dad, via suggestion and purchasing and shipping of my sister.



Marcus knows how much I like money...because I keep telling him.



He also paid attention when we were at an antique store a few days before my birthday.





And Nava...she knows how much I love cookbooks.



And these are like the cookbook bibles.



So on a religious note...

Honor yourself, and not just on your birthday. 

 Because when you honor yourself you are honoring the work and the love that your mother went through to get you here.

Honor yourself...and maybe something glittery may happen!


1 comment:

  1. Love it Nali. You not only have a way with colors, but words as well.
    And news for you, 40 is nothing...till you get to 45.

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