Yes, today is my birthday and when you've got any type of internet presence whatsoever, word sure does travel fast!  I've gotten lots of birthday wishes on my facebook page, the ladies on the Homeschool Crew are posting birthday greetings (and sending e-mails and e-cards), and all my wonderful TOS friends/co-workers are writing me the traditional TOS birthday poems.  I am blessed!

My birthday is always somewhat bittersweet, though.  The sweet comes from the fact that it's the FIRST DAY OF SPRING, and I love the promise from God of warmer weather and new life.  I love seeing the grass turning green, the leaves coming back on the trees, and the flowers starting to bloom.  The bitter, though, is my missing my Pap and celebrating our shared  birthday together.  I post about this almost every year, so those of you who have been my bloggy friends for awhile probably think I sound like a broken record.  I just wish that I would have known, as a child, what a treasure it was to share my birthday (instead, I always kinda resented that the day was not my own). 

I thought that, this year, it might be fun to share a picture of my Pap.  I could have raided my mom's photo albums for a picture of us blowing out a shared birthday cake, but I didn't have the time.  So, I pulled from my own reserves - this picture was taken on Easter Sunday 1997.  it's a 4 generation picture with my Pap, my Dad, me, and Ashley (she would have been 3 1/2).