So many, many times before, people in my life have sung “Happy Birthday to You” to me.
But maybe there’s something different about hearing it on your 50th birthday.
As my sister Treasa lit the candles on the cake, I looked out at a room full of people who are so important to me. They started singing, and the room filled with the voices of people I know and love.
There was something about this array of faces and voices, surrounding me, supporting me, cheering me on, that was incredibly moving.
Maybe it’s because I’m 50, and I know I am more than halfway through life. And maybe it’s because I try to live every day with the realization that tomorrow isn’t promised. But as I stood and watched everyone singing, I found myself thinking, this must be what heaven is like.
When our time on earth is through and we reach those pearly gates, we will probably be greeted by a sea of people who know and love us. I imagine they will all be smiling. Some of them might even be singing. But they will be happy just to meet us with love and gratitude for who we are.
There will be people we know and people we don’t know, people who’ve accompanied us while on earth and while in heaven, saints and sinners-turned-saints, ancestors and strangers and friends.
Jesus will be there, waiting for us with open arms and a heart full of love for us. And I imagine his Blessed Mother and ours will be smiling beside him, ready to welcome us home as only a mother can.
In our best moments, that’s how we show up for one another every day—smiling, supporting, celebrating the people around us. But birthdays mark the passage of time and the gift of life in such a remarkable way. They help us remember that life is a miracle, a gift beyond measure. They remind us that each of us is created for a purpose and that God loves us just as we are.
That room full of people singing to me brought home for me how connected we all are to one another. It reminded me of what Catholics think of as the Communion of Saints—all those who are living and deceased who are in this together.
We are all one. And we have each been given yet another day to breathe another breath, to make another person’s life a little better, and to walk with God knowing that he loves us immeasurably.
What a blessing to treasure every day.
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