Tis the Season...

This post is going to be short and sweet...just like me:

Whether you are a student of nature, biology, religion, or just a keen observer, you have probably noticed that life occurs in cycles.  Art and music has been composed to celebrate these cycles (or circles) of life and we all enjoy its wonders through each season.  In our family, we are in the thick of our late summer/early fall birthday cycle.  The cycle begins in July with my niece A and nephew J.  There are fewer than two weeks between their birthdays so our cycle begins benignly enough.  A couple of weeks after J's birthday is another nephew, D in early August then my son Boo in the latter part of the month.  When mid-September hits though, the dam breaks...my step-daughter E is on the 16th, Haime is the 17th; my dad (yes, we still honor his birth) the 20th (he would have been 78 this year); my other step-daughter D on the 22; my wonderful daughter-in-law M on the 24 and mom on the 28th.  Don't think we're done, Oct. 4 is my step-son D, I am on the 5th and on the 8 are my sisters C and C and my step-son M is on the 11.  Wow!!  The next busy birthday cycle for us is January through mid-February but since there are only about 5 birthdays during that 6-week period, it simply is not even close and there are smatterings of birthdays throughout the rest of the year.  You gotta love the cycles of life.

I commented above about my dad's birthday.  Our typical family celebration of birthdays means that we all (as many as is possible given life and work obligations) for a family dinner followed by cake etc.  Of course the birthday-celebrant chooses the menu or, at least the menu consists of the celebrant's favorites.  So, when we get together for the anniversary of my Dad's birth, we usually have spaghetti with some selection of sauces, (last year we had Alfredo with chicken, meatballs with marinara, and a clam sauce) and we always have German-chocolate cake.  I have been hosting this party for the past 4 years and am doing so again this year.  I'm torn between completely changing the menu as an outward sign that while we celebrate the wonderful life that daddy lived, that we have moved on; and keeping some of the old favorites.  I guess we'll have to see what Thursday night brings.