! ! A PACKAGE ! !

Mail delivered packages were always a thrill when my children were growing up.
Especially those birthday gift bearing parcels.

Talk about pure joy.
weeeee.

Anytime out of town family would send gifts, gleeeeeeee would reign throughout our house
& whether it came days before or days after the actual birthday didn't matter.
All that mattered was that it was a PACKAGE
& it had arrived.

I can still hear the excitement in those little voices.
"! ! A PACKAGE ! !" the birthday child would squeal with delight.

!  ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

& the other two ... ?

Neutral indifference from Son.
Unless it was his birthday of course.
He is a few years older than his sisters and figured they could never, ever get anything as awesome as the sports gear or video game he got on his birthday.

The daughters though ?
Yeah.
They were a whole different story.

The girl who's birthday it WAS would run around the house feeling, singing, expressing an abundance of birthday happy
& the girl who's birthday it WASN'T would experience total and complete agony.
She did not get "! ! a package ! !"
Loud and clear, for all to hear.
She. DID. NOT. get. "! ! A PACKAGE ! !"

Bawling.
That's the only way to describe the pain of it all.
Bawling.
Not crying.
Bawling Bawling and Bawling

Depending on which daughter's birthday it was, the dramatics varied but, the 'she got a package and I didn't !!!!' reaction never changed.

oy.

After a few years of living through this torment each and every single time "! ! A PACKAGE ! !" arrived ...
Yep.
Husband, Son, non birthday Daughter and I would just ignore the distressed child and carry on with the celebration.

ahhhh memories.
oh, memories.

Today, as Daughter #1 celebrates her birthday, I am hoping she feels every ounce of that wonderful bliss known as  "! ! A PACKAGE ! !"

& even though it's not THEIR birthday, I'm pretty darn positive her siblings are feeling that exuberance too.

:)

I Am My Feelings