This past Saturday was my birthday. As with every other day there is always something to learn or relearn. My dear friend Anne Garland was hosting her annual conference at the Griswold Inn in Essex that day and we had decided that after her event a few of us would have a drink in the bar to celebrate my day.
Anne being Anne instead decided to go all out. She bought me a lighted crown that flashed all afternoon, had the large group of 80+ women at her event sing me Happy Birthday and then continued to celebrate my day throughout her afternoon. After an initial embarrassment, I realized that it would be hard for most of us to take in all that well wishing, coming from women I knew as well as others I didn’t know yet so many of each honestly wished me well as they were leaving at the end of the day.
I was touched to see the kindness and community that Anne developed and saw how readily we all joined in to celebrate others as they won gifts as well. When we choose to open our hearts it is so easy to feel warmth and best wishes for another. A day of giving and receiving reminded me of how important it is for each of us to take in that we matter and make a difference in the lives of others. We are all part of community, and we each impact it, let that impact be from your heart; it makes such a difference since we all need each other for laughter, comfort, and support while we take the needed risks to truly live this life and not survive it.
