I know I've written about this several times in recent months (and I'm sorry if I sound like a broken record...), and now the day (one of them, anyway) is here: it's my dad's 81st birthday today, and Wednesday will be my parents' 60th (!) wedding anniversary. And even though I'm almost always there on or around these dates to celebrate with them, I can't this year, because of COVID-19, interprovincial travel restrictions and quarantine requirements. :(
My sister is on vacation this week, and will be there tonight with a cake for dad, and on Wednesday, she'll invite Parents' Neighbours' Daughter & her family and a few of the neighbours over for a socially distanced gathering on the patio/lawn, where another (larger) cake will be served. So at least the days will be marked in some way with at least one daughter there, and we’re chipping in together on a gift (a new weed-whacker for my dad, and some badly needed new tires for the car for both of them — I said 25 is silver, 50 is gold and 60 is rubber, lol). And my sister has promised there will be pictures.
But it still sucks that we can't all be together. :(
When you don't have kids, those opportunities for "milestone" celebrations become further & fewer in between. The ones you do get to have -- including celebrating your aging parents' birthdays & anniversaries, as well as your own milestone events -- become all the more special. (And 60 years is definitely special!) Let's face it, who knows how many more anniversaries and birthdays and Christmases I'm going to be able to celebrate with them?
I called my dad tonight to wish him a happy birthday (and wiped away a few tears after hanging up). I'll call again on Wednesday. And just keep hoping that things improve in time for me to be there for Christmas...
You can find more of this week's #MicroblogMondays posts here.
60 is Rubber! Good one.It might catch on. Though when my in-laws had their 60th, we didn't want either of them driving. lol Congrats to your parents.
ReplyDeleteYes, so many family celebrations have been curtailed by this. That's tough. I am sure it will make the next time you get together extra sweet.
I'm so sorry you're missing this celebration with your family. What fantastic milestones to celebrate. Hoping the holiday reunion will make up for it!
ReplyDeleteSorry that you can't be with your family at this time. I hope you can make it later in the year and have a delayed celebration, and that you can all be together to mark next year's birthday and anniversary.
ReplyDeleteOur family is not so sentimental about birthdays, I guess. I usually tried to make it back home for my mother's birthday, but if I didn't, I wouldn't be upset about it. Then again, I prefer not to acknowledge my birthday, so that may be a factor. She would be slightly irked, I suppose. But since we never visited my grandmother on HER birthday (it was in the beginning of January, and sometimes we would visit at Christmas), I thought nothing of it. Families are weird.
My mom's birthday (like mine) is in January. I haven't been there to celebrate with her in years (although we did have a joint cake over Christmas/New Year's when I turned 30 & she turned 50... she'll be 80 & I'll be 60 in January, so IF I manage to get there for Christmas, we'll probably do something like that again then).
DeleteBut we're usually there on or around my dad's, and I've always tried to be there for those "milestone" ones, like when he turned 80 last year. It's the 60th wedding anniversary that's bothering me more this year. My dad's family in particular have always been big on celebrating milestones, although we did make a big deal out of my grandparents' 40th, 50th & 60th too. I figured pretty early on that the big party we were planning for them was out, but I did hope I could at least be there & have dinner & cake, etc. Dad's birthday & their anniversary are only two days apart, so if I'm there for one, I'm probably there for both...! ;)
It's sad to miss milestones of family members. And 60 years is super special!
ReplyDeleteThis is the start of the season of my parents' birthdays and their anniversary (gosh, are our timelines the same). I'm glad you got to talk with your dad, and I hope you all get the chance to be together some time before 2020 is over. Is that too much to ask?
Too much to ask? I don't think so. I hope not... :(
DeleteIt's sad to miss milestones of family members. And 60 years is super special!
ReplyDeleteThis is the start of the season of my parents' birthdays and their anniversary (gosh, are our timelines the same). I'm glad you got to talk with your dad, and I hope you all get the chance to be together some time before 2020 is over. Is that too much to ask?
I'm so sorry, that's so hard to not be able to be there for these family milestones. A happy birthday to your dad and happy anniversary to your parents -- 60 years is so special! This pandemic situation is so hard when you don't live near your family. Bryce's parents live in Maine and Texas, and I've gotten to see my mom and stepfather for short visits on their deck (masked, distanced) but my father lives in California, alone, and is living with a degenerative disease. Which is real difficult and I get those tears when you hang up. The birthday season for my parents is Nov-Dec, I hope things look differently then but I fear they'll only be worse.
ReplyDeleteSending you lots of love, this whole situation is heartbreaking. ❤️