Another Year, Another Chance

Birthdays have been on my mind this weekend.

I have a number of family members with birthdays in April and May, and my Uncle Heinie has a 100th (!) celebration on May 9. July is also a big birthday month for us. I have been thinking about birthdays as April 24 would have been my sister Marianne’s birthday. and April 26 was my dad’s. Both of them loved birthdays—really loved them. Not just the cake and ice cream (although there was always plenty of that), but the gathering of family, the laughter, and the simple act of being together.

Those days always felt important and worthy of celebration. Unfortunately, since they’ve passed, birthdays feel a little different.

My family doesn’t connect the same way we used to. We all know that life gets busy-schedules fill up and people spread out. Mom’s health has caused her to move to a nursing home 3 years ago and getting everyone together doesn’t seem the same.

And while that’s part of life, there’s a part of me that misses what those days used to represent—intentional time together.

It’s common and easy, as we get older, to downplay birthdays. It’s just another year. and another number added to our age. Sometimes we even joke about it and sometimes we try avoid it. For a few years, I took my birthday off of Facebook as the “happy birthday Curt!” messages seemed meaningless without a personal message involved and FB even creates those for us!

But the truth is, birthdays are more than just a reminder of age—they’re a reminder of opportunity.

Another year to live.
Another year to grow.
Another year to connect with those you love.

And as I think about it, maybe that’s what dad and Marianne understood so well.

They didn’t just celebrate the person—they celebrated the moment-the chance to pause, to gather, and to appreciate what really matters.

It makes me think about how I/we approach those days now. Do we let them pass like any other day? Or do we use them as a reason to reconnect?

Because even a simple message, a phone call, text, Facebook message, or a shared moment can mean more than we realize.

That doesn’t mean I think we need a big party. But we do need ito be intentional. We need to make the effort to stay connected, to reach out, and to remind the people in our lives that they matter. Birthdays give us that opportunity.

They also give us something else—a chance to reflect and look ahead not only during our birthdays but during birthdays of those we love and care about.

What did we learn this past year?
How did we grow?
What do we want to do with the year in front of us?

To me, that’s something worth celebrating. It’s not just getting older—it’s about getting another chance.

This week has been a reminder for me: to appreciate the memories; to miss the people and moments we used to have; but also to be intentional about creating new ones. Because the best way to honor those we’ve lost isn’t just to remember how they celebrated life.

It’s to keep doing it.

So the next time a birthday comes around—yours or someone else’s—take a moment to:

Reach out.
Connect.
Celebrate.

I plan to do more of this with birthday reminders that show up on Facebook by connecting with personal notes for more people and more than just “happy birthday!” Not because I have to, but because I want to. And that, in itself, is something worth celebrating.

And now that the newsletter is done, I’m going to have some ice cream in honor of dad and Marianne’s birthdays-happy heavenly birthdays to you both and love you always!

Have a great week!

Coach K