MY VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

I LOVE BIRTHDAYS. ACTUALLY, I AM SO VERY HAPPY TO EVEN HAVE A BIRTHDAY. I HAVE LIVED 13 YEARS PAST THE TIME IT WAS ASSUMED THAT I COULD NOT LIVE MUCH LONGER. SO, THIS MORNING, I AWOKE, VERY HAPPY TO BE 55 YEARS OLD. EACH BIRTHDAY, MARTIN TAKES ME TO THE WAFFLE HOUSE TO HAVE A PECAN WAFFLE. TODAY, SOMETHING TRULY WONDERFUL HAPPENED THERE.

AS I WALKED IN, I TOLD THE WAITRESSES, (WHOM I HAVE GOTTEN TO KNOW RATHER WELL SINCE I HAVE HAD TO EAT OUT OFTEN DUE TO MY WRECKED HOUSE) THAT IT WAS MY BIRTHDAY. ONE LOVELY WAITRESS IN PARTICULAR, WHO IS RATHER ELDERLY, WAS TICKLED AND SHE PUT A SONG ON THE JUKEBOX THAT WAFFLE HOUSE PLAYS FOR IT'S BIRTHDAY CUSTOMERS. SHE AND I KIND OF DANCED AROUND AND CUT UP SOME, AND THEN AT THE END OF THE SONG, IT SAYS, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU BABY!" I THEN POINTED TO HER AND REPEATED, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU BABY!" AND WE BOTH LAUGHED. BREAKFAST WENT ON, AND SOON TWO CUSTOMERS THAT WERE SITTING AT THE BREAKFAST BAR GOT UP TO LEAVE. THEY LEFT THEIR MONEY FOR THE BILL ON THE BAR WITH A SURPRISE FOR MY DEAR WAITRESS FRIEND. TO HER IMMENSE SURPRISE, THEY LEFT HER A 100.00 TIP AND A LITTLE NOTE THAT SAID, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU BABY". THEY MUST HAVE THOUGHT THAT IT WAS HER BIRTHDAY! SHE WAS SO VERY HAPPY, AND COULD NOT GET OVER THE FACT THAT THEY HAD LEFT SUCH A LARGE TIP FOR HER. I SO ENJOYED SEEING HER HAPPINESS, IT WAS THE VERY BEST BIRTHDAY GIFT FOR ME. THEN, SOMETHING ELSE QUITE SPECIAL HAPPENED TODAY. FOR SOME TIME, I HAVE BEEN PUTTING OFF GETTING BOBBIE JO'S GRAVE MARKER BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY PLACES TO GET ONE WITH SO MANY VARYING PRICES. I HAD PUT THE MONEY BACK, SO THAT WAS NOT A PROBLEM, BUT I DIDN'T WANT TO GET ROOKED INTO PAYING MORE THAN I HAD TO. WELL, TODAY, AS WE WERE DRIVING DOWN A HIGHWAY, I NOTICED A PLACE I HAD NEVER BEFORE SEEN. IT WAS A SMALL MONUMENT COMPANY, AND I ASKED MARTIN TO LET ME GO INSIDE TO FIND OUT THE PRICES. I WAS VERY SURPRISED TO LEARN THAT I COULD SAVE SEVERAL HUNDRED DOLLARS BY PURCHASING THERE, AND WENT OUT TO THE TRUCK TO TELL MARTIN THAT I WANTED TO PURCHASE THE MARKER RIGHT THEN. PROBLEM WAS THOUGH, THAT JAYBIRD WAS WITH US AND I WAS WORRIED THAT HE WOULD BE UPSET IF WE BOUGHT IT IN FRONT OF HIM. I ASKED HIM IF HE WANTED TO GO WITH ME, AND HE SAID HE DIDN'T KNOW. I THEN TOLD HIM HE COULD SIT IN THE LOBBY, I WOULDN'T BE LONG, AND HE COULD HAVE A COKE WHILE HE WAITED. HE SAID OKAY, AND WE WENT INTO THE OFFICE. IT WASN'T LONG BEFORE I NOTICED HIS BLONDE HEAD PEEKING INTO THE DOORWAY, AND I ASKED HIS OPINION OF THE COLOR OF GRANITE HE MIGHT LIKE. HE WALKED ALL THE WAY IN AND SAT NEXT TO ME. HE ASKED WHAT ELSE WE WOULD PUT ON IT, AND I ASKED WHAT HE THOUGHT WE SHOULD DO. HE NOTICED THAT THE BRONZE PART OF THE MONUMENT COULD HAVE ROSES, AND HE WANTED ROSES FOR HIS MAMA. I AGREED, AND THEN TOLD HIM HE COULD CHOOSE OTHER ASPECTS OF THE MONUMENT IF HE WANTED TO. HE ASKED IF HE COULD PUT SOMETHING TO DO WITH BASEBALL ON THE MONUMENT. I SAID, YES, OF COURSE, AND HE OPENED A CATALOG WITH SEVERAL PAGES OF SPORTS EMBLEMS. AFTER A MOMENT, HE CHOSE AN EMBLEM WITH A BASEBALL DIAMOND, EACH CORNER HAVING ONE OF A BASEBALL, A GLOVE, A HAT AND A BAT. I ASKED HIM WHAT HE WOULD LIKE THE MARKER TO SAY. HE SAID, "NANA, PUT BELOVED MOTHER ON IT". SO, I ORDERED THAT. ALL IN ALL, JAYBIRD DESIGNED HIS MAMA'S GRAVE MARKER BY HIMSELF. I THINK HE FELT VERY GOOD THAT HE WAS ABLE TO, AND CAN TELL OTHERS THAT HE DID SO. IT WAS SUCH A SPECIAL MOMENT FOR MARTIN AND I, TO SEE HIM PARTICIPATE IN SUCH AN IMPORTANT PART OF HIS MAMA'S PASSING. WHEN THE MARKER IS PUT INTO PLACE, THE FAMILY WILL GO AND PLACE FLOWERS IN THE VASE. IT WILL TAKE ABOUT TWO MONTHS TO HAVE IT READY, SO IT IS SOMETHING I CAN PLAN FOR. ALL DAY LOVING FRIENDS AND FAMILY CAME BY TO BRING SURPRISES TO ME. I FEEL SO LOVED AND CARED FOR. MY SWEETHEART GAVE ME MY FIRST PAIR OF DIAMOND STUD EARRINGS, AND HE EVEN MADE SURE THAT THEY HAVE SCREW-ON BACKS SO THAT I WON'T LOSE THEM. HE IS ALWAYS CAREFUL TO WAIT FOR THE RIGHT MOMENT TO GIVE SOMETHING LIKE THAT. HE IS SO SWEET. WE THEN HAD DINNER WITH THE FAMILY AT A RESTAURANT THAT I REALLY LIKE. IT WAS MEXICAN, AND OF COURSE I HAD TO WEAR A SOMBRERO FOR THE BIRTHDAY SONG. THERE WAS YUMMY CAKE, BUT NO ICE CREAM AS I CANNOT EAT ICE CREAM. THE LAST AND MOST WONDERFUL SURPRISE CAME WHEN MARTIN TOLD ME TO COME AND LOOK AT SOMETHING. I WALKED TOWARD THE KITCHEN WITH HIM, AND TO MY SURPRISE, HE AND RUSTY(A DEAR CLOSE FRIEND OF OURS) HAD FINISHED THE DINING ROOM! THERE WAS THE LOVELY DINING TABLE WITH SEATING FOR EIGHT, THE GLEAMING WOODEN FLOOR AND THE GORGEOUS MATCHING CHINA HUTCH. I SCREAMED. (WITH DELIGHT.) IN ALL MY 55 YEARS, I HAVE NEVER HAD A DINING ROOM OF MY OWN. IT IS SO LOVELY, AND MARTIN TOLD ME THAT WE HAVE TO GO AND FIND SOME LOVELY CHINA TO GO IN THE HUTCH. I SAT AT THE TABLE, AND IMAGINED THE THANKSGIVING TURKEY IN THE MIDDLE, AND THEN I SAW THE CHRISTMAS TREE IN THE LOVELY PICTURE WINDOW. OH, MY DREAMS HAVE COME TRUE. HOLIDAYS WILL BE SO WONDERFUL, NOT THAT THEY HAVENT' ALWAYS BEEN, BUT NOW, I HAVE A LOVELY AND GRACIOUS DINING ROOM TO SERVE MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS. YES, I HAVE HAD A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY. THANK YOU EVERY ONE. I LOVE YOU ALL. LOVE, NANASEE