“THEY SAY IT’S YOUR BIRTHDAY…”

Today January 26, 2009 was a very important day in our family.  My Mom had what some may call a “milestone” birthday!  My Mom and I are very close, and I have been asking her for months what she wanted to do on her big day.  She said she didn’t want any kind of party, and really didn’t “need” any gifts.  So, as you can tell, I have a pretty “low maintenance” Mom (or Mombo as I call her.)  However, I knew I still wanted to make this “milestone birthday” one that she would always remember.  So, my sister and I decided that instead of going out to dinner for her birthday (something we have done for years), we would make it a bit more meaningful and intimate by cooking at home.  And instead of just getting her another pair of birthday earrings, we would create a special gift from the heart.

We picked out a menu that highlighted some of her very favorite dishes, and even baked a cake!  To some people, cooking for six may be “no big deal”, but for my sister and I, it definitely was a challenge!   First of all we were maneuvering all this cooking in my teeny tiny kitchen, a challenge within itself.  Not to mention that neither of us are what you would call “cooks”.  But we were both determined to make this evening special for our Mombo.

Besides a few minor gliches, the three course dinner turned out great and our homemade cake, well it really took the cake!  And even though Mombo had said “no gifts” we did something from the heart.  We asked all of our close family and friends to write a favorite memory of our Mom included with a warm birthday wish.  We then put the memories in a

My sister, My Mombo, and Me

book that we decorated with photos and quotes.  Needless to say she was “fa-klempt” (jewish translation: overwhelmed with emotion!) when she saw the book.  On the first few pages, there were memories from my sister and I, my Dad, my Grandpa and her sisters.  But as she kept going through the book, she just couldn’t believe that we got 25 of our family and friends to write special memories  and birthday wishes for her.  She really was touched.

So far, lots of my “good deeds” have revolved around acts of kindness for strangers. I do find a joy in helping people who I don’t know and who are less fortunate, but today, I thought it appropriate that I really let my Mombo (one of my inspirations) know how much she is appreciated and loved.  I think I can say, mission accomplished!

To see a few clips from the “big birthday shebang” click below