My parents’ birthdays

They are born one year minus one day apart. In August. As a kid I got them house gifts. I remember I bought them a clock that they had on their hallway wall until they moved from that apartment. 

But they were not big on celebrating their own birthdays. Maybe that’s why I don’t care so much for my own birthday as a mom. 

As adults their birthday is a great opportunity to do family reunions. As grandparents they reunited us all for a very good reason. We get to have a feast and cake and catch up on life.

Grandparents are the most wonderful neutral ground for cousins. We were laughing so hard as Tata was telling us how they are usually restless at night. He wakes up 2-3 times a night. But after they spend the day with the grandkids they sleep unturned, like logs. There’s no time to rest, or slow down. 

Their gift is immeasurable. Even if the eldest cousin, Luca, doesn’t come by anymore. He is sufficiently independent and trustworthy to be home alone. He has spent hundreds of hours with my eldest daughter, his first cousin. And he longed to have family, cousins, siblings. He is kind, generous, creative. Jackie adored him. Now they are both more reserved. They play chess, they take turns talking… 

But Jackie is still young enough to have played all summer with the little ones, ivy and Marc. 

My parents seem younger to me than even a decade ago, when we would see them once a year. Their checks are flushed with play, their kind active with answers, they are needed and actively involved in the grandkids’ lives. 

We have tremendous respect for them as they lived honest lives. We got spanked as kids. They rarely even raise their voice at the grandkids. They taught us well. They practiced restraint. They told us about God, and his Law, intuitive boundaries, respect. They listened to us and we listened to them. 

I remember a season when anything I did got my mom annoyed, and it was probably at the age that my kids are now. And this memory gives me hope. There is life beyond this stressful stage. 

My parents are nearly 70. But in my mind they are still about 50. Even though we spent all last night together, we are going to have dinner again, this time we order pizza. For the first time in six decades we celebrate on both days. It’s like we truly appreciate the time we have together. May God bless our conversations and time together. May it all be for His glory.