Queen For The Day

I’m in the process of my morning routine: sipping a bit of coffee and contacting friends and family through e-mail. It is a good start to the day. Today I’m using a new mug that was a thank you gift from a friend. It says, ‘You are special today.’

My mind has been wandering around the idea of our specialness lately. It has been one of those little humor thoughts that just keeps playing around in my head. I think it started the other day with my trying to find a way to celebrate my mother’s 94th birthday.

It seems that birthdays are days when we expect to be special.... at least a little. In truth, we are special every day, but the challenge of expressing that on the one day, our birthday, is sometimes a bit awkward.

I know that finding something fun and different to help another celebrate a birthday is becoming more and more of a challenge. I took that on last week with Mother. I would dearly have loved to have taken her out somewhere special and treated her to a lovely dinner. Unfortunately, she just can’t do that. So, what should I do? I thought about having some of her friends over and fixing dinner for them, but her lifelong friends have mostly passed away or moved away. I crossed that idea off the list.

It ended up that her special day celebration was filled with cards, phone calls, a deli purchased German chocolate cake, and a Sonic burger with fries. I’ve told a few of my friends about that and they have all given me ‘the look’ or just chuckled.

In my own defense, we don’t eat Sonic burgers on a regular basis, so they are a treat. I don’t bake cakes. Trust me, the one from the deli was much fluffier and tastier than any I could have whipped up in my kitchen from scratch. I will not apologize for deli cake.

My own birthday celebrations have calmed down over the years. I’m quite content with the simple as well. I like the cards, phone calls from friends, and just keeping it simple. I’m delighted with deli cake. I always get something cute from Daughter I-Needa. I usually try to warn Son Right Back that my birthday is coming. That way he can remember to at least say ‘Happy Birthday.’ He isn’t big on birthday celebrations. As a matter of fact, I usually try to remember to remind him when it is HIS birthday. Usually I have to prime him a bit to get him to offer a little celebration spirit on my special day.

My mother and friend JuJu have birthdays two days apart. That makes it easy for me to remember JuJu’s birthday. We always send cards and call each other on birthdays. JuJu has moved to be closer to one of her sons and the grandchildren, so a little wine, cake, and dinner together with friends is now out of the question.

I called JuJu on her birthday, and we had a nice conversation. At the time I visited with her, one son had called to wish her happiness on her special day. She was also busy with her baby sitting routine. She has stepped willingly into the gap to help with all the running around that the busy life of three active children brings. The perk is that she is there and a real part of their lives.

I laughed with her for awhile and asked her how it was going... this being queen for the day. I think she was far too busy to be feeling like a queen. I reminded her that she had special powers on her special day. She was to be waited on and her every wish granted. We both laughed at that one. Oh, sure.

I heard from her by e-mail the next day. After her full day of kids and soccer games, the family had arrived bearing deli cake (Go, them!) and a gift certificate for a little indulgence. The arrival came shortly after settling in to watch Dancing With the Stars. That is one of the favorites these days. With quiet existence now put on hold, the fun began. There were hyper grandchildren, laughter, chat, and a recognition that it was JuJu who was queen for the day. When the celebration ended and JuJu settled back into the depth of her easy chair, she discovered the remote was missing. A diligent search under chair cushions, furniture, and in the toy box yielded no remote. Finally a call to family and a mamma’s little chat with the youngest gleaned valuable information. The remote was carefully hidden smack dab under the middle of the dining room table. Quiet was restored and the queen went to bed... another one over.

Yes, I’ve been thinking about those special day celebrations. The next one will be in July, when I-Needa is queen for the day. I have time to think and ponder that. I’m sure it will involve deli cake. Perhaps a little something special purchased to eat. I might consider a little adventure and hiding her remote. Perhaps not.