With Joe's birthday coming up tomorrow, I am busy baking his cake and making preparations for his birthday dinner tomorrow night. And I'm reminded of his birthday celebration two years ago.
Joe likes for his birthday to pass quietly without much fuss, so our family of six planned to eat at home that night. The celebration would definitely be low-key, but still I wanted Joe to feel special. So I had spent the day making his favorite dishes: chicken and puff pastry, green beans, rolls and a fresh green salad. And for dessert, a freshly-baked cake with creamy buttercream icing.
When we gathered around the table for dinner, the children worried that our family meal was not special enough to mark the occasion. Where were all the guests? Where were the balloons? Had I made invitations or a birthday crown? And most frustrating to them, what was the theme of this party?
Four-year-old Christian was most concerned about his daddy's small-scale celebration. He was deep in thought as we finished our meal. I lit the candles on Joe's birthday cake, we sang "Happy Birthday," and I served everyone a piece of cake. I took a bite of cake and commented that the all-white cake tasted like wedding cake.
Finally inspiration struck, and Christian's face lit up. He announced with delight, "Dad, Dad, I know what your birthday party can be! You can have a wedding party. You can invite your girlfriend!"
(Christian meant me, so it was a happy birthday, after all!)
