Today is B’s birthday. At midnight, I wished her Happy Birthday on her FB wall. This morning at 9:30, I left my house to drive to hers. We spent the day together—running errands with the kids, hanging and rearranging art work, drinking coffee, eating birthday food, exchanging Christmas gifts, celebrating life.
I’ve exchanged Christmas presents with B and remembered her birthday every year since I’ve known her; she has remembered mine as well. But our gift exchanges, remembrances, and celebrations of life haven’t been exclusive to Christmas and birthdays. B and I communicate frequently, hang out when we can, and buy each other gifts every time we see something that reminds us of the other. It’s actually a minor miracle that I was able to wait until today to give B her Christmas present. I bought it for her sometime this past spring!
Today was also another of my friends’ birthdays. When I saw her birthday notification on my FB page, I wrote Happy Birthday on her wall. I like Mrs. Georgianna. We’ve known each other for many years. I went to her house as part of progressive dinners in high school. We used to have tiny handwriting competitions with one another.
Over the years, though, Mrs. Georgianna and I have remained in contact only distantly. This reality is no fault of either of ours. Mutual respect still exists. Distance has just happened over the years. I’m remembering her birthday today because FB suggested that I do so, yet I wouldn’t have known that today was her birthday had it not been for FB’s announcement. I may remember Mrs. Georgianna’s birthday in the future because I’m writing about it now, because I’ve formed a connection with it, but unless something changes, which it could, our lives still won’t be intimately connected throughout the year…
One of my biggest blessings of 2012 was the 2012 Advent and Christmas Seasons. For the first time in many years, because I wasn’t so busy doing the work of or studying ministry, I was able to step back, relax, and truly live with a spirit of openness in the waiting and celebration. I’ve written about a couple of things I’ve pondered in previous weeks—realizing that Jesus had grandparents and an aunt, accepting the fact that Jesus’ birth-night was both a non-silent and silent night—but I need to write about one more thing for this season’s revelations to be complete:
It seems to me that Christmas has become the universal Facebook announcement of Jesus’ birthday.
For some people, the reminder isn’t necessary. Some people have an ongoing, intimate relationship with Jesus so his birthday isn’t something they can forget—like I can’t forget B’s. Other people have a distant relationship with Jesus—they may have once been close to him but found that the friendship has drifted apart—so the reminder makes them pause and remember—like happened with me today with Mrs. Georgianna. Still other people don’t have much of a relationship with Jesus at all—they may have heard his name, been introduced to him at some point in their lives, but not ever have formed anything more than a distant connection with him—like happens to me sometimes when a name pops up on FB that I’m not very familiar with—so the reminder is just that—a reminder—a simple thought of good wishes.
For some people, Christmas is a simple thought of good wishes. The season comes, it goes, and it ends. For other people, Christmas is a time for pausing and remembering. The season comes, Jesus’ birthday is remembered, the remembrance reignites thoughts and feelings, it lingers for awhile, but unless something changes then it gets lost in the busyness of life. But for other people, Christmas is a focused day of remembering Jesus’ birth—of what Jesus’ life meant—of the hope, peace, joy, and love that came to earth and still lives today. For those people, Christmas may be a universal season of celebration but it is also an individual spirit that is chosen every day…a reality that does not die…a promise that is not forgotten when the decorations come down.
Birthdays are important because they celebrate life. But to truly celebrate life, day-in and day-out relationships must be nurtured.
I’m thankful for this birthday that I was able to spend with B, but I’m more thankful for the friendship that causes me to keep an eye out for Chinese and Japanese art and that causes B to keep an eye out for orange fish for me. I’m thankful that we’re so far in debt to one another that we’ve given up on keeping a tab. But most of all, I’m thankful that I actively get to celebrate life with B…and Mrs. Georgianna…and my family…and my friends…and you…because of the life that was born in Jesus and continues to live today.
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