"It's a Beautiful Life"- Genevieve Galvan Frenes

Day 12 – On social media, there are pictures of a teenager or child sitting at a table with a birthday hat and cake, sitting by himself. No visitors or big party. Just a birthday cake with lit candles.

Just like many children, adults, and grandparents, individuals having birthdays during the quarantine are lonely in the sense that family and friends who they want present aren’t near them. However, birthday individuals aren’t forgotten. Facebook feeds are filled with birthday wishes from family and friends. Videos on social media show entire families singing outside the window of an elderly family member in an effort to celebrate their very special day.

Although you can tell the birthday person is pleased with some type of celebration, the one thing missing seems to be the human touch, the excited hug, the up close and personal feeling you get when everyone is surrounding you, just to celebrate– you. It’s the best feeling in the world to know you are loved and that you can stand, sit, or touch the person right next to you.

I see posts about moms disappointed about not being able to invite Jimmy’s friends over the house for his anticipated party, or a quinceanera (with all of the attention of basically a wedding) cancelled due to the ban on gatherings of large groups. All of these milestones have taken a slight detour in an effort to save the majority, so that individuals with weakened immune systems may stay safe. It’s understandable, logical, and yet, it’s still disappointing.

Today, my eldest daughter turned 25 years old. Yesterday, she stopped by our house after work and we gave her presents and a cake. My daughter is the life of the party and although I knew she anticipated a big celebration like always, it was clear that she understood how things had to be considering the situation at hand.

Yet, as a mom, I understand her disappointment. Since she’s my first born, her birth started me on the journey of motherhood. I’ll never forget her entrance into our life, or the births of my other three children which made me and my husband a family.

And yes, I know this detour in her birthday celebration is for good cause– it is a sacrifice to keep our family, friends, and strangers safe from a virus that we do not understand. The one thing we do understand is that this virus is relentless and unyielding regardless of age, gender, or economic level. It can attack anyone at any age. And those most vulnerable, the elderly or people with health conditions, must be protected.

So, today, I wish my beautiful daughter and all of the birthday individuals a wonderful day celebrating their grand birth into our world. We realize the sacrifice they are making, but we hope to witness many more birthdays to come in the future.

And when this quarantine and social distancing is over, I hope we will hug, kiss, celebrate, and party like we’ve never done before. That day will come…

It will be a most joyous day — a day to savor the blessing of our beautiful life together, united in something we overcame, because we cared enough about others more than ourselves.

Stay blessed everyone…our life is a gift to be celebrated and remembered.