Thirteen

My mother passed away two weeks before I met my husband John for the second time. I can't help but think she had something to do with our meeting. My mother had never met John or my three kids. She would have loved them all.

One of my fondest memories I have of my mother is how special she made my sisters and me feel on our birthdays. Our birthdays were the one day where all the attention was focused on us. She gave us birthday parties filled with fun, friends, and presents we didn't know we wanted. So when I had my own kids, I knew that I would carry on my mother's tradition.

Tomorrow my son turns 13. He rarely asks for anything and said he doesn't want anything for his birthday. He has everything he needs. This is hard for me. I want to make his birthday special for him, so I will drive him to school (something I don't normally do) and watch him play Fortnite (something else I don't normally do). I will decorate the dining room and surprise him with donuts for breakfast. Hopefully when he is an adult, he will remember these little things. As it is the little things that make for the special memories.

John at 9.