That time of year

This time of year is filled with fun and celebrations, starting at Christmas and ending around New Year’s Day. Happy times with good company are what we all want, and most of us get—including me.

And yet, as I wrote last year, I also inevitably think of my mother, whose birthday was this time of year. I suppose it’s fitting that I should think about her and her birthday when, in her lifetime, it was so often forgotten amidst holiday celebrations. But this is also the only time of year when I think of my mother a lot, and that’s as it should be: I have a life to live.

While the chance to give her birthday presents is long gone, remembering her at her birthday is one thing I can still do. To me, it doesn’t seem like much, but it’s the best I can do. I hope it’s enough.

Happy Birthday, Mom.