Winter Birthdays

Anyone born in a winter month who lives in the north country knows that celebrating a birthday is never a sure thing.  Last year, for instance, a nor'easter kept me housebound on my February birthday.  Tired of being unable to celebrate one another's birthdays, a group of my friends decided that we could certainly find one weather-friendly evening to toast all of us for turning another year older.  And that was the birth of Winter Birthdays, a tradition that we have upheld for several years now.

This evening, the six of us met at a casual restaurant for our celebration.  It happened to be Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and the general mood of peace and tolerance and goodwill seemed to further enhance our appreciation for one another.  We had a wealth of catching up to do, as our busy lives do not offer many opportunities for a gathering such as this.

We are mothers, gardeners, teachers, artists, judges, bakers, tax assessors, zumba dancers, travelers, decorators, historians, writers, runners, homemakers.  We are friends.

And we laugh a lot.  The company of women, a friend of mine used to say, is good for the soul.  Our souls were enriched beyond measure this evening.  At our age, life has thrown any number of challenges our way, but we are resilient.  We can still laugh.

Colleen, Margaret, Bonnie, Kathy, Allyn . . . I love you all.