A little boy, just turned six, holds back tears as he looks around his kitchen table. It was his birthday. He had chosen Spongebob as his theme, and at each place there was a spongebob plate, napkins, and cone shaped hat, all underneath a spongebob table cloth. His birthday was today. And outside there was about a foot and half of snow, with ice coating the streets. One by one his friends parents called, "I'm so sorry to do this, but we can't make it, it's so icy out!" "We're a little scared to drive we can't make it, I'm so sorry!" This little boy was my brother. And He had a December birthday. He looked forward to his party for weeks. So I watched as my brother slumped his shoulders more and more with each call. I watched as his lower lip started to pucker out, and tears fell silently down his cheeks. Our mom came over and told him how sorry she was. I would've done anything to make him feel better. And as I looked out our back door, into our back yard my seven year old self suddenly realized that my brother had gotten the best gift ever! A gift many kids dreamed of for their birthdays. I looked over at him excitedly and said "But Ross, God gave you the best gift of all! He gave you SNOW!" His whole face brightened, he stood up a little straighter and he gave me the biggest smile ever.
We both ran upstairs and changed into snow clothes. We spent the day making giant snow men, that had a mouth made out of rocks, and eyes out of half oranges. We decorated them with scarves and hats, which we found weeks later still half frozen in our back yard, We went 'shoe skating' on the pavement in our back yard swirling and dancing in the snow.. We had hot chocolate and ate all the party food--including the cake, it was wonderful and magical and everything that a snow day should be.
It is one of my most cherished childhood memories and my brother's favorite birthday. So this is for all those December babies, who's birthdays may have been canceled or postponed. The birthdays that may have been lost in the Christmas shuffle. Make the most of what you've been given, and remember that you have a summer half birthday to make up for it!
