Birthdays in the time of Corona

We celebrated three birthdays this weekend, including my own, and each one offered us the opportunity to witness the kindness, creativity, humor and love that thankfully thrives in troubled times.

Our nine-year old neighbor Sami, for instance, chalked me a cheerful birthday greeting on the sidewalk in front of her house and it made my day. Our 93-year old neighbor Connie the Cookie Lady sent me a birthday card with this helpful reminder:

“Be sure to remove mask before blowing birthday candles out.”

My friend Katie Jumped Around with us, and then gave me a quarantine birthday gift bag with toilet paper and hand soap inside. Another friend Jill dropped off daffodils and sweet treats for the house.

These are crazy, scary times, but they aren’t without laughter and joy.

We celebrated my sister in-law Donna’s birthday with a Zoom party, and it was fun to hear greetings from Oregon to Washington D.C. and many places in between.

That same day, we marked our young friend’s 11th birthday with cake and a drive-by car parade. It warmed all of our hearts to see him smile.

Birthdays in the time of Corona may not include lavish parties and restaurant toasts, but they still elicit warmth and wishes and we treasure them even more because we know the extra effort that went into extending them.

I’d like to thank my friends and family for going out of their way to make my 56th birthday so special.

And, while I’m not going to share it exactly (because then it won’t come true), I can tell my birthday wish included all of you.

Stay healthy, friends.

We have lots more birthdays to celebrate together.

My friend Sami (and her mom Sharon) chalked me this sweet birthday greeting from across the street.
And my friend Katie gave me this perfect quarantine gift bag.
Cool shirt from my kind sister in-law Donna, udderly cute mug from my son Charlie and his fiancee Tara, flowers from my sister and brother in-law Cary and Steve…all in all, a genuinely sweet day.
A sign of the times. Birthday car parades are moving parties from a safe, social distance. Honk if you love them!
My daughter Molly whipped me up this delicious birthday dinner of spinach burek (a Croatian form of spanakopita) and this unbelievable jelly roll concoction of banana cake with chocolate ganache and a filling of homemade caramel and peanut butter cream with chocolate covered pretzels on top.

3 thoughts on “Birthdays in the time of Corona

  1. It sure will be a birthday for you to remember.. Hope this is over by mine in June. I have a major milestone and I sure don’t want to celebrate it with a facemask on.

  2. Happy Late Birthday! I was wondering what delicacy Molly would whip up for you!
    Looked pretty scrumptious:)

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