My inner child, Little Judi, and I are sending an announcement to family and friends for my birthday. There's a picture of her at 6 years of age on the front. I've always toyed with the idea of a birthday announcement before the big event because I'm always disappointed when people say, "Oh it was your birthday? I missed it." Excuse me, why isn't January 22 circled in red on every calendar across the country? I've never figured that out.
When I was a child growing up in the Dallas area, sometimes my birthday fell on a day of snow and ice. I distinctly remember my 5th birthday standing at the frosted window all day looking for cars to turn into our icy driveway. It made my mother cry, but i was so sure somebody would brave the weather to don a paper hat. But, it never happened. I was crushed. I think that must have been my turning point.
When I was a child growing up in the Dallas area, sometimes my birthday fell on a day of snow and ice. I distinctly remember my 5th birthday standing at the frosted window all day looking for cars to turn into our icy driveway. It made my mother cry, but i was so sure somebody would brave the weather to don a paper hat. But, it never happened. I was crushed. I think that must have been my turning point.
Every year I love my birthday. I hum "happy birthday to you" all day long and I let everyone know it's coming. I've even been known to bake my own cake. There's not much chance of anyone forgetting my birthday. So the announcement makes alot of sense.
This year I was inspired by my friend Sherry. Let me tell you the story about Sherry's 40th birthday this past summer. Her son Jack was born with Down's Syndrome. Being the "take charge" girl she is, she started Rise School in Corpus Christi for children with special needs. When her birthday rolled around, her friends sent out an announcement asking for $40 donations to help the school. They ended up raising over $40,000! When I received my card, it put a huge lump in my throat. I thought to myself, "This will be one birthday Sherry never forgets."
So with that inspiration, I decided I'd ask my friends to "pay it forward" on my next birthday. Well, the time is here. I'll be turning 60 next Friday, January 22. So you have a few days to decide what you'd like to do to celebrate with me and Little Judi. The inside of the little announcement says:
Despite her youthful appearance,
she'll be 60 years old January 22nd
and she needs your help to celebrate.
She wants no party, no gifts...
just 60 family and friends to
Scatter Joy.
Her birthday wish
Her birthday wish
is for the world to be a happier place
and this is where you come in.
On Friday, January 22nd
perform a random act of kindness...
go out and make someone's day!
It can be in a big way or a small way...
but she wants to hear about it.
Leave a comment here or email her at invitickles@stx.rr.com and let her know what you did on January 22 to Scatter Joy. She'll love you for it!
After mailing out a big stack of these, I've decided to blog about it and maybe you could help me spread the word. Even though I always love and appreciate a sweet little wrapped gift, I really don't need anything...and there's so many people out there in need of a lift in their day. So, think of Little Judi next Friday and help her put a smile on someone's face!
Cutie Judi ! So very typical 0f my friend. Once upon a time in another time and place she was standing in line behind a young mother who was making a payment on her Christmas layaway. When the mother left Judi asked how much was owed on the layaway. The clerk told her and she removed that amount from her wallet and paid it off. Judi told the clerk not to tell the woman just to let it be a surprise. Random acts of kindness is in her DNA. Wouldn't you like to have a friend like that ?
ReplyDelete