So I stood there with my chocolate cupcake and chocolate frosting stopping time. Thinking about a day filed with tropical fish, jelly fish, penguins and sharks thinking about the seven years this amazing person has been in my life, mixed in with the eight-year anniversary of an awesome person leaving.
My daughter’s 7th birthday and my Dad’s passing.
It’s not a fun thing to feel a twinge of sadness on a day marked for happiness. It helped to remember that he liked to celebrate life on birthdays. My Dad enjoyed the sweetness of chocolate cake and frosting. He battled depression, but enjoyed laughing and feeling good. He didn’t like sadness and wanted to feel good, so he did what he could to make that happen. And that hard. He had his ups and downs, but he tried and succeeded on most days. Any chance at smiling he took it.
And so … on my daughter’s 7th birthday I did just that.
Any chance for smile and I took it.
Turning seven … that was something to smile about. The adventures of this little Ninja Warrior take me beyond smiles and go deep into laughter. She’s been the Rainbow Brite of my life during cloudy days.
On the last day of being six she mastered the blue and green water slides at the pool and cannon-balled her way to the 4 1/2 feet section of the pool.
“You don’t need to catch me,” she says.
On the last day of being six I didn’t catch her. But on the first day of being seven, I gave her the squishiest hug and the funkiest dance as we listened to the Beatles sing Today is Your Birthday.
I celebrated her contagious laughter and her impromptu Napoleon-Dynamite-Soul-Train-Solid-Gold Dancer caliber happy dances after something good happens to her. I celebrated the awesome softball player she grew into. I celebrated the love she has for art, painting, drawing, coloring, and anything in the Bob Ross world. I celebrated her love for Multi-Grain Cheerios as her favorite breakfast meal, Mortadella and Salami sandwiches as her favorite snack, and black beans any time of day. I celebrate her enjoyment of baking cakes, cookies, and cupcakes, and laugh when she doesn’t want to eat them and just taste the frosting. I celebrated her adventurous spirit and willingness to give any kind of rollercoaster a try, as long as she meets the height requirement. I celebrated her love for hugs, that part I think was passed down to her from my Dad. I celebrated her love for the If You Give A Mouse a Cookie series of books and TV show. I celebrated her for being a caring sister who loves her brother so much that sometimes she bursts his personal space bubble. I celebrate her for being smart, strong, and sensitive at the same time. I celebrated her love for penguins at the aquarium and her first time touching baby sharks.
We celebrated turning seven with a Napoleon-Dynamite-Soul-Train-Solid-Gold Dancer caliber happy dance and that made any twinge of sadness disappear. I laughed and felt joy and I knew if my Dad was watching that day he would be cracking up too and feeling joy. His spirit still lives in me and in his granddaughter.
Buen Camino my friends!
The Wish Factor 
Guat,
This young lady has some great things going for her indeed! She digs on Mortadella and salami sammys, multigrain cheerios, Bob Ross, penguins, roller coasters and sharks. AND she has you for a mother! And as far as Papa, his spirit will always be there. For all of you.
Blessings, peace and love
Thanks so much Marc. Sometimes you just think you’re failing on a daily basis, but if I’m exhausted at night that has to mean something good is happening during the day. She’s making life feel bubbly that’s for sure, and often reminds me of my Dad’s spirit so it’s been good, Definitely loving the Bob Ross revivals over here. Happy trees.
Your Dad’s spirit is in so much of what you do every day. And it is definitely in your parenting skills. She feels it, believe me.
To Bob Ross revivals and happy trees. And to what Imma tell you until you get sick of hearing me say it, after which Imma keep right on telling you anyways. . .
He would be proud.