Spring/Easter/Birthday Mash-up. Or: Miss Banana Turns Three

In our family, birthdays and holidays seem to come together.  My birthday is New Year's Day.  T-Man's birthday is right around Labor Day.  Fearless was born right between the 4th of July and Pioneer Day. You might think that Dr. C didn't get he birthday/holiday memo, because he was born at the beginning of August, but it turns out his birthday is on National Lighthouse Day.  AND, lately, his birthday has fallen on the back-to-school sales-tax holiday, which might even be a better than National Lighthouse Day, don't you think? 

Maybe he got the memo after all.

And then there's Miss Banana, whose birthday is today, two days before Easter. 

Of all the birthday/holiday combos we have in our family; I think Miss B's is the most significant.  Her birthday is nestled in the midst of the Spring & Easter themes of everything new, fresh, clean, beautiful, growing, and reaching for more.  From watching the grass turn green, to the flowers that start to bloom, to the new baby birds chirping in the nest of a nearby tree, to thinking about our Savior, Jesus Christ, overcoming all and living again; Spring and Easter, to me, are about new life.  This time of year signifies the possibilities that we have inside of us if we let the sunshine in and allow ourselves to grow and become more than what we were before.

To me, Miss Banana being born during the time when the world was going through the Springtime renewal was not a coincidence.  During the dark, cold winter months when we received Miss B's diagnosis, I felt like life was against me.  The snow dumped down, the wind blew constantly, and my heart was devastated.

And then the ice began to melt and acceptance grew.  The daffodils in my front yard started to bloom.  The sun began to shine. And my little lady, with her wisdom and strength, was born. 

A new life. 

A perfect, beautiful, new life.

 

Having her join our family was like pulling back all the curtains, opening the windows and letting the sunshine and fresh air pour in.  It was like a big dose of spring cleaning in my heart.  The bleakness of winter was gone; the despair of the unknown replaced with hope and joy. 

 Life with Miss Banana has opened my eyes and allowed me to see more beauty in the world than I had known existed.  Because of her, I've grown, I've stretched, I've become something more than I ever was before.  Dr. C and I will often divide our life into two time periods: "Before Miss B" and "After Miss B".  Because having her in our family changed us forever. 

It was the beginning of a New Life.

 I thank my Heavenly Father for sending her to our family.  I am grateful for the Savior's example of overcoming all and for the Atonement of Jesus Christ that allows me to repent and be renewed.  I am eternally thankful that I have my little Miss B to teach me and help me grow.  I cherish this Spring/Easter/Birthday time and how it reminds me to celebrate the joy of Life.

 

Happy Birthday, my little lovey, I love you to the moon and back.