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.