Today is my sweet husband's birthday. We will not speak of his age, mostly because he is younger than I. I always did have a thing for a younger fellow. ;)
Times are tough here at the Casa de Beshears and I have no gift for him. This would be unforgivable if it were my birthday, but he never minds. Over the course of our marriage I have routinely forgotten his special day, celebrated it on the wrong day or tried to convince him that it really wasn't his birthday because his birthday is on the 5th. Poor Roger, I think there were actually some moments when I almost had him convinced that he wasn't born on the 1st of December.
His never failing good humor always stays intact because birthdays aren't a big thing to him. **They are HUGE to me** You forget my birthday at your own peril.
When I handed him his steaming cup of birthday java this morning and confessed to having no present, his response was "you are here for my birthday this year, that is all that matters."
Wow, talk about whispering sweet nothings in my ear! To know that your mere presence is a gift to someone is amazingly romantic. There has been a lot said, written and speculated on about how difficult this time last year was for ME. But I don't think anyone really realized how very hard it was for Roger. He was left with the constant day to day life challenges with no help. He was responsible for 3 dogs who basically viewed him as just another one of the group. He is not the disciplinarian in the house, therefore, not a "pack leader." He was surrounded by family but really alone in the sense that the person he has allowed himself to become dependent on was missing.
So if being here is his gift I will be the biggest 'ole present and presence I can be today. I will make some good old fashioned comfort food for dinner, ply him with chocolate chip cookies and not complain about anything at all for today. (Today only mind you.)
And so, Happy Birthday Big Daddy (or Papa as his Latino workers like to call him) I hope you have a day worthy of you.
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