For the longest time, I really resented having my birthday so close to Christmas.  Somehow, it would get swept away by the bigger event.  But this year was different.  My birthday was a perfect day!

It started this morning, with my 4 year old son and my husband preparing a "gift" for me.  It was a huge 5 feet long box (which I recognized as being the left over box from our new TV stand).  The box wasn’t wrapped. Instead, they had drawn a card, a birthday cake (with a knife to cut it) and a butterfly on the top of the box.  It read "Happy birthday Mommy" on it.  Knowing my husband, the size of the box meant that it was probably something very small that I would have to hunt down in a shower of packing peanuts.

But not this year.  I was intrigued that the drawn up card said: "From Bryan, Etienne and your wild in-laws".  There’s a signature you don’t see every day…Inside the huge box (which my son promptly opened up for me), there was a brand new classical guitar.  I was speechless.  I had seen this amazing instrument a few weeks back at a new music store.  I had never played a really fancy classical guitar and I was amazed at how well it sounded (making my playing instantly better!)  I remember telling my husband that I would come back to get it "some day".  I was shocked to see it appear in my life this early! 

I told my son that I was giving him my old guitar and we proceeded to "play something together" (his words).   He has been going back to his new guitar all day long to play us some more music.

A few years back, I asked for a Christmas tree on my birthday.    So we went to the store this afternoon and got a humongous Noble Fir (with a $15 off coupon ;).  On the way out, my son (who rarely eats or asks for candy) sees a box of really nice chocolates and suggest that we all "get a treat".  After a fantastic dinner, we had some fabulous chocolates. 

We then proceeded to build up our Christmas tree.  This was the first year that we actually had brand new lights for the tree and matching ones for the window.  My son was so excited.   He kept telling us where to put the ornaments, or try to "give the tree a hug" (we live in Oregon, so tree hugging is to be expected…).

I’m telling ya, a perfect day!

Intuition