When I was growing up, my family didn’t make a big deal out of birthdays. When Richard and I started dating, I loved that his family made sure that birthdays were celebrated in a big way. We always celebrate our birthdays. We have dinner, cake, ice cream, and presents. I love all of our birthday memories.

This past April was Richard’s first birthday since his death. We spent the weekend together in Knoxville, shared stories, and made sure his day was celebrated.

We don’t remember the presents, the cakes, the decorations, etc. What we do remember is our time together; that we took time to celebrate the birth of our loved one!