The Birthday Club
There are nine boxes on the floor of my bedroom. They all contain pictures, being stored in one manner or another. Some in frames, some in albums, some in Ziploc bags, and some just loose. I brought them in from the garage when we cleaned out my half so I could park in there. Eventually I hope to go through the boxes and make some sense of them. After Microbiology winds down.
One framed picture in the mix jumps out at me, and I gaze at the people in it and am taken back. It was five years ago, and we were fairly new in the area. K was turning forty, and her husband invited some couples to meet at Macaroni Grill to surprise her. The five couples who came had so much fun, we decided to make it a tradition, and the Birthday Club was formed. Every time someone’s birthday rolled around, it was an excuse for a gathering. Sometimes, like Macaroni Grill, we would meet at a restaurant and let others serve us. Other times, we gathered in someone’s home–spending time hanging pictures, drinking amaretto sours, eating tenderloin or chicken fingers, and laughing hysterically. And then having our picture made, piled on the sofa, guys sitting in the laps of the gals!
As I look at the picture now, one couple–the original birthday girl’s family–has moved away. We have completely lost touch. Another couple I see mostly at Friday night football games and church. Our kids are in school together, and we cross paths often, exchanging pleasantries and chit chat. The third couple I count as good friends. I have coffee with her, we engage in meaningful conversation, exchange birthday gifts, and enjoy a genuine friendship. The fourth couple has just divorced. He has a brain tumor. It was in remission, but it is back, growing, and he is having seizures and trying to decide what route of treatment to pursue. The prognosis on this tumor is never good. And then there’s us–growing, moving, changing in our own way.
The picture makes me happy and makes me sad. I am happy for the memories. The birthdays spent with new friends. The amaretto sours! And then the sadness takes over. I miss the one couple who has moved, and my heart breaks for the one who divorced after twenty years of marriage. I weep over the return of the brain tumor and the man who fights it alone. I cherish the table he built for us over the summer and run my hands over the smooth surface and rounded edge.
I put the photo back in the box, dry my eyes and wonder what is around the bend for the other couples.
January 26th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
[...] Another friend of mine is nearing the end of his earthly life. Please be in prayer for Dean as this brain tumor seems determined to grow and has caused him to need significant pain medication and to be almost completely confined to his hospital bed. Pray also for his family–his five children ranging in age from 8-18. [...]
February 26th, 2008 at 9:18 am
[...] fast friends–parents with five children have to stick together! We ended up forming the Birthday Club along with three other couples, where we got to know Dean even [...]