Birthday?

As one gets another year older, there are a few ways to acknowledge this celebration of aging they call birthday:
a. celebrate as if there is no tomorrow
b. drown your sorrows with several bottles of Erdinger because you have just moved one year closer towards the natural end of your life
c. pretend that nothing has happened and ignore the occasion of your birth
d. remain sleeping in bed till the following day arrives and your birthday ends
e. -- fill in your own suggestions here --

I did none of those today, as I arose this morning at 5.00 a.m. for my Morning Office and then prepared for Mass later at 6.45 a.m. One of the intention mentioned at Mass was for the occasion of my birthday. It is the usual practice here to pray for those celebrating their birthdays or ordination anniversaries. Then for the rest of the day it was business as usual with classes, lessons, the travelling to and fro the university.

By the time I got back, it was already dark and time for dinner. A group of us headed down to the basement and we cooked ourselves a gastronomic meal that ought to outshine any usual offerings the College's kitchen can muster! :-D Amidst our eating and drinking and the camaderie that went round the table, we swop/shared stories from our priestly ministries that gave fascinating insights of how God continues to use our limited and sometimes frail capacities as humans to work and bring about miraculous outcomes. You may want to call this 'holy gossip' ;-)

In short, I allowed my occasion of my birthday to be inserted into the ordinariness of the day which acknowledges that the Father has always been the principle reason of all that has transpired. It is a waking contemplation of the Divine Love in the very heart of humanity's existence.

To those who have sent in their greetings and best wishes, a grateful thanks to all! It certainly made my 43 years of living a little less tiresome... :-)