Prayer request

Today is my 21st birthday. And it has been spectacular- full of friends new and old. But it has been a bittersweet day too. You see my mom called me today. And the man that is very dear to my heart is in the hospital. And not just in the hospital, he's in the ICU. So today I've been trying to find this balance of happy that it's our birthday and sadness because this man is so very sick. So tonight, all I ask is for prayers for this man. That's it...nothing else. Just simply prayers for healing and peace.

A birthday tradition I will always hold dear

When I was five years old, this man and I started a tradition; because we share a birthday, he would always take me out to dinner and I would get to chose the restaurant.  I remember the very first time we went because I chose to go to Wendy's.  Of any place to go out and eat, I chose Wendy's.  As I got older, I moved on to Bob Evan's, then to a few other random restaurants in my area, and for the past few years, we've gone to Olive Garden.

When I was born, he was seventy years old.  So at the age of seventy-five, this man was willing to go to Wendy's to eat dinner with my family and I.  He attends the same church as my parents (where I went as a child) and is very involved in the community.  He was an amazing influence in my life.  When I would see him in church on Sundays, I would run over to talk to him.  And every year, my photo albums would gain new pictures from our dinners.

I look up to this man, possibly more than anyone else in my life. And every year, I anticipate when May rolls around so we can continue this tradition.  In more recent years, because of his health and me living in Rochester, we've had to move it around and this year is no different.

What I haven't told you readers yet is that he always asks me to bring my boyfriend to our dinners (if I have one).  What is the reason behind this you ask?  He wants to know that there will be someone to fill his shoes.  He wants to know that this tradition won't die, that someone will care enough to carry it on.

And I hope and pray that the tradition never dies, although I know that it will never be the same without him there at the table making us all laugh and bringing my family together, if only for an hour or two.  So my heart is breaking tonight because I know that time is limited, but I will forever thank God that I have had the honor of sharing a birthday with this man.  God has given me someone to look up to and admire.

This year I will turn twenty-one years old and there is a man that will turn ninety-one.  His health is failing him, but his spirit and courage are strong.

We Are Young

Tonight, I got to hang out with my summer '11 "family" for one last time before some graduate, and the rest of us part for the summer.  This is probably the last time we're all going to be in one place.  

After meeting on campus and joking and reminiscing, four of us decided to go to Tim Horton's and get iced capps one last time together.  For those of you who don't know, this past summer, pretty close to every day for our 10:00 AM breaks, we would go to Tim Horton's for iced capps and breakfast sandwiches.  These friends quickly became my family. We worked together, took insanely long breaks together, and we cleaned so fast that we got to sit a lot and talk and watch 'Alif play angry birds.  

Anyway, so after we left Tim Horton's, we got back into my truck and I plugged my iPod in.  And this song came on.  Well, turns out we all loved it anyway so we cranked up the volume and sang along to it as we drove along.    

Give me a second I,
I need to get my story straight
My friend's are in the bathroom getting higher than the 
empire state
My lover she's waiting for me just across the bar
My seat's been taken by some sunglasses asking about a 
scar, and
I know I gave it to you months ago
I know you're trying to forget
But between the drinks and subtle things
The holes in my apologies
You know I'm trying hard to take it back
So if by the time the bar closes
And you feel like falling down
I'll carry you home

Tonight
We are young
So let's set the world on fire
We can burn brighter than the sun

Tonight
We are young
So let's set the world on fire
We can burn brighter than the sun

Now I know it I'm not
All that you got
I guess that I, I just thought
Maybe we could find new ways to fall apart
But our friends are back
So let's raise a cup
'Cause I found someone to carry me home

Tonight
We are young
So let's set the world on fire
We can burn brighter than the sun

Tonight
We are young
So let's set the world on fire
We can burn brighter than the sun
Carry me home tonight (Nananananana)
Just carry me home tonight (Nananananana)
Carry me home tonight (Nananananana)
Just carry me home tonight (Nananananana)

The world is on my side
I have no reason to run
So will someone come and carry me home

Tonight
We are young
So let's set the world on fire
We can burn brighter than the sun

Tonight
We are young
So let's set the world on fire
We can burn brighter than the sun

So if by the time the bar closes
And you feel like falling down
I'll carry you home tonight

This song ended just as I pulled in to the apartments on campus and put the truck into park.  As everyone was getting ready to pile out and move seats, we realized that this song had a new meaning for us. We gave it a new memory.  

As we are all getting ready to part, either for good or just for the summer, we have so much to face, but we are still young, and we can change the world. We can do so much, shine so brightly.  And at the end of the day, if we start to fall, someone will be there to help us through whatever is going on.  

It was such a bittersweet moment, but it was one that I know I will remember forever.  And this song will forever hold a special place in my heart.