i love birthdays

i love birthdays! They tend to go against every fiber of my being. All
the attention is focused on me and that bothers me. Why? Because I
accept curses easier than praises. Really I'm a very self absorbed
person. Its all about me 24/7 and part of my ego trip is the thought
that really nobody thinks about me. Go figure that one out. So when its
my Birthday I get all this love and attention from my family such as: My
older daughter giving me five Valentines since Sunday! The first word on
my younger daughter's lips this morning being "daddy" even before she's
really awake. My son rising at 6:30am to make me the most wonderful
birthday sign out of paper towels and masking tape. My wife planting a
wonderful warm wet kiss on me just as I'm praying that the Lord show me
love. (I learned later she'd just taken a sip of tea.)
So in spite of my selfish resistance my birthday reminds me that I'm
noticed and that being here is more important than me. That my person is
shared by all those around me. When I am loved on my birthday I'm
humbled. Suddenly I've got some explaining to do for the selfish
aggrandizement I do year round.