Thoughtful Thursday & Bittersweet Birthday

My birthday was last week.

It always falls on or around Thanksgiving Day.

I haven't always liked that because my birthday tends to get lost in the holiday hustle.

This year it was especially hard because my dad passed away on my actual birthday.

Not the celebration I was expecting.

I had to say good-bye to one of my biggest heroes.

He was larger than life to me growing up.

He was a man of integrity, strength and grit.

He was one of the smartest men I have ever known.

He may not have had a college degree but he could figure anything out.

I remember once when I was little.

I may have been around 7 or 8 years old.

My friends and I were playing outside near the front of my house.

A couple of them were arguing about whose mom was the strongest.

I remember one of them saying to the other, "My mom can beat up your mom."

Not wanting to be left out, I shouted, "Well, my dad can beat up a little person!" 

I am not sure how I came up with that one. 

But it seemed like a good idea at the time.

My sisters and I have spent this week preparing to celebrate our dad's life this weekend.

We have been gathering stories and pictures which have brought with them a flood of memories.

Together we have laughed and cried.

We have experienced heartache and been enveloped with love.

Honestly, I believe that is why life is so beautiful.

The human experience provides us with contrast.

We would not see or experience the beauty without the pain.

My birthday will forever be bittersweet to me and I am grateful for that.