Eulogy for a Birthday Cake

This is a photo of my birthday cake. Yes, in addition to being the last day of November, and last day of NaBloPoMo, November 30th is my birthday.

And, no, the birthday cake wasn't meant to have this lovely charred appearance. But, no matter. I love this cake. Why?

This is the cake that Max thought of for my birthday ("I want to make Mommy a cake, and it should have cherries in it, and I want to put sprinkles on top.")

This is the cake that Aaron made for me, from scratch - Cherry Upside-down Cake. And before its quite extended "warming" time in the over, I'm sure it was delicious.

This is the cake that made my brother rush over and turn off the oven, in an act of selfless fire prevention. I'm so thankful for his quick response to our frantic call.

This cake is a symbol of love and generosity. My husband loves me and wanted me to have a wonderful birthday. My dear, sweet little boy wanted Mommy to have a cake with cherries and sprinkles. My darling baby girl smiled the sweetest smiles at me today, and would have eaten this cake with glee. My brother didn't complain once but jumped into action and rushed over to save the day. I love this cake.

As if that wasn't enough love for one birthday, I also got to sing along with Mr. Richard at our Roots & Shoots class, have a delicious lunch with Jenny, decorate gingerbread houses with my mom and Jenny, receive loads of wonderful phone calls and serenades, watch the lighting of the downtown Sanford Christmas tree, and end the day with a "surprise party" planned by Max (he hid behind the coffee table, Aaron hid behind the kitchen island, the house was decorated by the birthday fairies and they jumped out and yelled SURPRISE!).

Whew. That's a lot of love for 33 years. I feel so very blessed by it all. Thank you.