A tradition in time for 2015 Birthdays

This young lady inspired a very special birthday tradition.  I share it with you now so you'll have time to pass it along in your family.

On the big day her grandmother circled up the celebrants, and gave the birthday girl a smooth stone etched with the figure of a bear. She told her granddaughter an (invented) Native American legend that wishes made for another person while holding the stone would come true. 

Nan Jan folded the stone between her two hands and made a silent wish then passed it to the next person. The girl's aunt then voiced her own wish for the niece to have some exciting adventure during the coming year. 

When handed to the cousin, he squeezed his eyes shut and pressed the rock in one hand while mumbling under his breath, desiring that a new friend be added to her relationships. 

Grandpa hoped she'd have a fantastic time at her first week-long camp away from home. And so on around the circle until it came back to the young lady.

The bear of course was just a means to affirm a beloved child. Placed on the shelf above her bed, she'd look at the stone and remember the people that loved her and rooted for her success in every endeavor. 

Like the old fashioned blessing from a patriarch, pastor or priest, the ceremony confirmed her value as part of the family, and within the wider world. It was a confidence builder. 

Don't we want every child we know to receive those gifts! 

Birthday Bests

Today's my birthday, so I'm flipping the pages in my mental birthday album to favorite celebrations.

Best birthday gift I've given myself:  a ticket to see Mikhail Baryshnikov dance in Denver. Seeing a virtuoso perform is like being transported to another level of existence.  I was awed, inspired, and so grateful to see the power and beauty of his dancing in person.

Best party: When I was sixteen my mother arranged a surprise party for me. I missed some obvious clues and was astonished. I felt like queen for the day, honored to be celebrated.

Best gift I received:  a three speed black Huffy bicycle.   For an adolescent, it was like having my own car! I could get all over town, haul my school books and violin in the baskets on either side of the back tire. My friends and I took long rides in the countryside; it gave me freedom/independence.

Birthday milestones: By 37 I worked for Continental Airlines and found my dream job (except for lifting heavy suitcases and dealing with very cranky customers.)
     The year I turned 44 I began my second career as a teacher (a lot more work without the perks, but drenched in significance.)
     

Notre Dame Cathedral, paris
photo from Wikipedia

Best out-of-town birthday: I celebrated my 44th birthday in Paris with my younger daughter and my mother-in-law.  The week was packed with visits to the main attractions, but also full of moments of just living like Parisians in a beautiful city bursting with spring flowers, and fantastic restaurants the size of a family dining room. I bought fresh ranunculas from a street merchant to grace the hotel room. One night my mother-in-law and I wandered and shared a chocolate gateau (cake) at a sidewalk cafe. She declared it the best she'd ever eaten. I sat on a sunny bench at the jardin de Luxemborg and watched the families playing in grassy areas reserved for children by age group.  I've relived that trip in my mind many times. 

Truly, the birthdays I most love to celebrate are not my own, but those of my children and my grandchildren. One daughter and her son share the same birthdate- two in one! 

This year I am with them all in Denver, which seldom happens. I plan on a big cake and some games for the kids, then grandma photos. Maybe this will be the best one of all.