Celebrate!

Sometimes life is hard. Things can be tough for all of us at one time or another, and sometimes, for long stretches it feels like you just can’t catch a break. So when you have a reason to celebrate…CELEBRATE!!!! And when you don’t have a reason….find one!

A birthday can always be a very good excuse to be joyful and let someone else know how loved they are. Last evening we had the chance to do just that with my daughter, Sara whose birthday happens to be today. Dinner at our favorite Italian restaurant, Mi Piace, and the chance to go around the table and each one of us tell Sara something we love about her. Her daughter, her sister, her niece and nephew, me and her daddy, and Jackie, (who is her second mother) all had no trouble at all sharing how much she means to us. In a world where so much negativity is running rampant, we can all use some encouraging, affirming words. Loving expressions are truly the very best and most lasting gifts of all.

It was not hard for any of us to find something wonderful to say to Sara. She is beautiful inside and out and is a devoted mother, daughter, granddaughter, sister and friend. Wise beyond her years, and very patient and kind, yet able to make us laugh until we cry and our sides hurt, with her storytelling of situations she has found herself in over the years. Celebrating her is very easy for all of us….and celebrate we did!

After a delicious bowl of pasta, it was time for the Truffle Chocolate Cake. As Martha Stewart most famously said, “A party without cake is nothing more than a meeting.” Now what made this cake and this celebration all the grander was the sparkler birthday candle that adorned it. And come to find out they are readily available in a box of 12 for just over $15 from Walmart. You can click on the link to order some for yourself and your next celebration here

You don’t want to have another celebration without these wonderful candles. Who wouldn’t feel special with one of these on her cake?!! Happy birthday Sara….as the song says, “This girl is on fire!” …and she’s got the sparkler to prove it 🙂