Another birthday, another year

 Nowadays, they say that, with all the hardships in life, all the violence, all the problems our country is facing, all the poverty, there’s nothing to celebrate about when your birthday comes. I beg to disagree.

Celebrating does not necessarily mean throwing a grand and lavish party. Celebrating can mean a simple dinner with your family and loved ones. It can mean going to mass and thanking God for all the blessings. It can mean simply being thankful for another year that has passed.

There is so much to celebrate and be thankful for [at least] with each birthday that comes around.

               -You have family and loved ones surrounding you.

               -You have food to eat, money to spend, and shelter to live in.

               -You have the ability to laugh and be happy and make others laugh and happy.

               -You can bask in the sun and play in the rain.

               -You have overcome [maybe] thousands of problems, big or small, in the past year.

               -You have accomplished a lot and made a difference with your achievements, big or small.

               -You have touched a life, whether you know it or not.

There are many (thousands) other things to be thankful for. Whatever your status in life, there must be something, some reason. In addition, the mere fact that you are alive and breathing on your birthday, meaning you have lived another year, is something to celebrate!

So instead of thinking of reasons why NOT to celebrate your birhhday, think of the MANY reasons why we have to tell ourselves, “Hey, celebrate! Today is a special day for you!”

To me and all the other birthday celebrants today and this September, here’s to being thankful for the past year and to anticipating another beautiful year ahead of us!