Birthday Musings from a Golden goddess

Obviously, I, Kikita is the Golden goddess (little "g"), wrote this post.

My birthday is two weeks away. I'm going to be 26. TWENTY-SIX!!

I am a HUGE fan of birthdays. I am the midnight caller singing a cheesy song (because the traditional "Happy Birthday" just wouldn't be enough). My philosophy is that a birthday is the day you should feel extra special and I want you to know more than any other day how grateful I am you were born.

But of all the birthdays I celebrate, MINE is my favorite.

In our family the birthday breakdown goes monthly as follows:
April, May, June, July, August, and then the curve ball of December.
Dad, Mom, ME!, Adam, Lucy, and then Jonathan.
It's almost as if we planned it in order of appearance (or by who is "in charge").

Every April as Dad's birthday approaches, while I am thrilled to celebrate his, I begin planning mine and dropping not-so-subtle hints about possible gifts.
My statements sound something along the lines of:
"Oh, the Yankees are playing the Angels? HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMY!!"
"Gosh, Amy would probably LOVE a trip to Cuba Nostalgia for her birthday"
(yes, I sometimes refer to myself in the third person, but that's not important right now)
I am also all for making the birthday last . . . while Mami can celebrate the weekend after, for me the magic dies the day after my actual birthday so by starting early I make it last and stretch it out to amazing lengths.

And do I know how to plan parties! By May I already have AT LEAST 3 possible party ideas if not more. Then I just start nailing down what to do when. The words "For my birthday . . ." become part of my everyday vocabulary.

Well, what would you expect from a Golden goddess?

The problem is that this year I'm going to be 26. I've crossed over to the "next box." I'm no longer an 18-25. I'm in my LATE twenties. I'm closer to thirty. AAAAAHHH!!!

And something has changed. It feels trite to say I'm growing up, but I don't know what else you would call it.
This year the phrase "For my birthday . . ." feels hollow. I live in the O.C.
"The Bubble" as Mami is so fond of calling it. I want for nothing. There is nothing I need.

Suddenly I am feeling vapid and selfish asking for petty and unnecessary presents while there are so many orphaned children all over the world hungry and without a roof over their head or someone to love them and celebrate THEIR birth.

And now that I've had this thought, now that my consciousness has been aroused, I am excited about my birthday and I want to share the love.

What if I ask for donations instead of presents? What if the gift I ask for this year is the gift of giving?

It just so happens that a few of my African friends are in a band called "Milele" which means "forever" in Swahili and they are a group of talented artists with big hearts and big ideas.

They are working on something they call the Milele Family Homes Project. The general idea is to build a home, find parents who are looking to adopt, and then pair the orphaned children with these carefully screened parents. This would give the children an opportunity to have a place they call home and grow up knowing what it feels like to be loved, to be celebrated.
The group puts it like this, "Our goal is to produce a generation of families that would have otherwise not existed and a generation of leaders who have not been stolen by AIDS."

I have found that helping with things like this in any way I can really helps my self-esteem.

So . . . For my birthday . . . ;-)

I would feel the most loved if you helped me help them.
I'm not asking for a huge gesture , just something small (unless huge gestures are your thing and, in that case, by all means go for it!). I was thinking maybe $25 to commemorate the closing of my 25th year, but even $10 would be a fantastic "Happy Birthday, Amy!"

You can donate online by clicking here.

Or you can mail a check made payable to:
Milele Ministries
7881  First Street, #1
Stanton, CA 90680

They also have a "Cause" page on Facebook and you can join the cause, make a donation, and then invite your friends to do the same.

If you're feeling self-centered and a little vapid, give to this cause, I'm sure you will feel like a better person. I know I do.

In fact, this is shaping up to be the best birthday ever! =D