This year I had a very special birthday. A birthday I almost didn’t have. This was the birthday that COVID-19 almost stole from me. Were it not for the heroic efforts of my doctors and nurses, my birth date would be inscribed on a tombstone, rather than marking a day of celebration.
This year I celebrated my birthday at home. I was given a sushi dinner and an angel food cake decorated with whipped cream frosting and fresh berries. Balloons and streamers hung from the fan blades in the kitchen, the handiwork of my youngest daughter.
I got homemade cards from both my daughters with sweet sentiments. I opened gifts. I smiled often. I walked the dog with my wife. I drove my car up and down a nearby avenue studded with traffic circles, making for an entertaining tour. Then, I went home.
This is where the pandemic has placed me. At home. With those I love. Home is where the heart is. It’s a cliche, but like many cliches, it conveys truth. Where is your heart? There you will find your home.
I know that home is not always a happy place. I know that some homes are homes of one. I know some have no physical home at all. But I hope that, whatever our circumstances, we have some people who count as family, and some place that feels like home–where the heart is.
2 Replies to “Pandemic Birthday”
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Happy birthday, Eric!!!! What a beautiful, touching post, my friend. Your birthday, like EVERY special day forward in your life, will never feel the same again. Only a person who has had a life threatening encounter can fully understand how grateful you now are for each new day. Your eyes are open to see far more beauty and your heart feel more love and gratitude than ever before. May the Lord richly bless you and keep you as you discover a whole new life you may have missed had it not been for this experience. Proof again, that God can use ALL things for His good! Love to you and your beautiful family. Illa
Thanks, Illa! The Lord has richly blessed me in so many ways. As you convey so well, life is good. And because of my illness and recovery, all the more precious.