So here we are...on this, your birthday weekend.
I had to work all day on your actual birthday, which was lucky for me as I was able to keep my mind distracted from what would have been a day all about you. I sat in my car for just a few moments and quietly said "Happy Birthday" to you before heading in for a long 13 hour shift. Except for a few moments of down time in which I would glance at my phone to see the well wishes and sentiments of friends and family, it was a relatively "easy" day that came and went as quickly as you had.
It was when I got in my car at about 9:00 pm to go home and turned up the radio that your memory hit me with full force. The new Kesha song "Die Young" was blaring. It was almost as though I was staring at one of those glaring "Open" signs outside of a late night diner. Mom and I had just talked about believing in signs and, there, staring me in the face was, not only one of your favorite singers, but her newest song about dying young....so much for the uneventful day.
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Mom's day went much differently than my own, but she definitely had a better story. Sandy met her at Ingles to go to lunch for your birthday and her own but requested that she drive. She drove mom over to the church and grabbed some roses out of the car to help celebrate your birthday. As they walked back to the Memorial Garden at the church to lovingly place the roses, mom told her about your story with roses. When you were about 9 years old you were in a local production of Annie, playing the prestigious part of "Orphan Girl #4", you were the only one of the production to NOT receive any roses at the end of the production. This was a mishap of mass proportions that you did not fail to remind mom of for years to come..."You never got me roses when I was Annie!" So one day, many years later, mom went and bought you roses, laid them on your bed, and said, "There, these are for Annie!" So as Sandy intently listened to mom tell this story they arrived at the Memorial Garden and upon entering Sandy noticed that a bush, not far from your "coordinates" was blooming...what appeared to be a single red rose.
The next day mom went to church as usual. After the service she went out, as is the tradition, to the Memorial Garden to say "Hey" and noticed that not only the roses that were placed there by her and Sandy, but also two balloons. Father Scott informed her that your Aunt Lynn, had requested balloons put out there for you.
I thought about your birthdays and sadly couldn't really remember anything that stood out to me from all of the years previous, except for last year, which can only be categorized as a disaster, but I assumed this was due to our large age gap. I wish I could have remembered more and perhaps things will come to me as the years pass. I do remember you, much like myself, dragging your birthday out for the entire month of October, which always annoyed and impressed me all at the same time.
With that being said, Happy Birthday, little sister! I hope you enjoy your month, you deserve it!
