Bummer......A great guy......

A quiet celebration took place within my heart last Thursday March 25. The day would have been my father's b-day. A day which I usually am sad and shed tears for him but this year was different. I still miss him more than anything but this year I decided to remember all the fun things and celebrate his day with smiles, laughs and sharing stories. A day of joy instead of sadness. What a more enjoyable day then usual and I'm sure he is happier with my decision.

On of my earliest memories that I have is our special nickname that we had for each other. A nickname that I never let anyone else call me and that was "Bummer". I have no idea how it came to be but that is what we called each other. Our special name that was not shared by anyone. 

I can remember spending my Saturdays with Bummer mowing, gardening, weeding. When we were done he would take me down to the local restaurant and buy me a milk shake. MMMM good and worth every second of help.

During certain seasons we would go Apple or blueberry picking. We would spend the whole day picking. He use to laugh and say good thing they don't weigh us going in and coming out and charge us for the extra pounds we gained.  Blueberry picking would consist of a fist for the mouth and a couple blueberries for the bucket. Before we picked an apple off the tree we would test taste it to make sure the apples on the tree met our standards. Bummer would hold the ladder and I would climb up the ladder. I was a monkey climbing fool when I was growing up. Climbing trees was second nature to me. I would reach all the nice big Apples that no one ventured to go get. Funny, now I would think twice about it. LOL 

One of the greatest gifts that my farther ever gave me was the ability to say I'm sorry. I say that because a few months before he passed there was a huge disagreement between him and myself. He ended up kicking me out of my house but a couple of days later he called me to say he was "sorry" and wanted me to come home which I did. I do remember the situation but it was the "I'm sorry Bummer" that I hold tight and close to my heart. I always tell everyone that was the greatest gift he gave me. The ability to apologize when I do wrong even if you are the parent. No one is perfect and we all owe apologizes at times.

I will always will miss him but from now on instead of a day of sorrow it will be a day of celebration for my family. A family that he never had the chance to meet.  Who knows maybe next year, we will honor his day with one of his favorite meals. Share pictures and stories. A fun day.. One step to becoming deliriously happy.
 

Jump On The Bandwagon And Choose Earthdays Over Birthdays

WOW!!! Have you noticed that is what most parents say when they realize their wee ones are having a birthday? We are faced with not only with our children having a birthday but that means we have another year to add to us. Of course us as parents have long since stopped having birthdays and don't like to be reminded of such nonsense. OK well, at least I have. Yes, my babies keep increasing their age by numbers but the older kids have jumped on my "ban-wagon" and stopped keeping track of how many years have flipped by. Let’s correct that I have just gotten some of wee ones to jump on now. Love my parental influence.

I have 5 babies that will be having birthdays this next month. I'm happy they are here to enjoy them but I think we should throw the age and birthday thing out the door. I have called my birthday my "Earthday" for years. I never have to think about my age until someone asks me and it always happens. How old are you? How old are your kids? You don't look old enough to have that many kids and you surely are not old enough to be a grandma, another word that I don't use. LOL I get asked this because I was blessed with looking young and acting even younger. Mostly because I refuse to grow up or grow; won’t use the other word.

I guess if society as a whole was not so stuck on the age thing and everything was not centered on having fewer wrinkles and being young I could handle it. I have had this age issue since I was 13. Yeap, when I turned 13 I decided to stop having the birthday thing and stopped telling people how old I was. Seriously at times I have forgotten. Of course until I have to flip out my drivers license or at my doctors office. Yes, here I'm sitting in the office and they announced my birthday to everyone and continued to do the same to everyone. I happened to be the youngest there and the most applaud or the one that has a big enough mouth to say something. Well, did they get a huge ear full from me. I even told them that I would refuse to go back if they kept this up. They have since stopped doing this. I thought it was just wrong. If I wanted everyone to know my freakin age I would plaster it to my shirt. NOT.

Even though I gotten many compliments it doesn't matter because at some point people start saying you’re too old for this and that. They attach age to everything even if age has nothing to do with what is going on with you or the situation.
When I first started having kids I got harassed because I was a baby having a baby by most standards. Then I got told I was too old to have a baby and how did I expect to carry my child's luggage to their dorm room, nothing like a slap in the face. I had years to go before I would even turn 4....well you know what I'm trying to say. On the other hand, many use age as an excuse not to do something. I can't go back to school, change jobs, have kids, move, etc. because I'm too old. Everyone is an age critic.


Don't get me wrong I'm thankful to be here because I'm not ready to be pushing up the daisies yet. But for us chronologically challenged people and for society as a whole I think the world would be a better place if we got rid of the age stigma. If people just looked at people for who they are and for the knowledge that they posses, instead of attaching an age to it. My personal step to becoming deliriously happy creating happy thoughts and free from age restrictions.