For as long as I can remember, birthdays have made me feel more uncomfortable than celebratory. I’m not afraid of getting older, so this strange feeling has been hard to explain. Finally in my 27th year I understand why. Maybe it’s the ‘mother’ in me, but I strongly feel that it would make far more sense to celebrate the people who created us in the first place. I am here today, the person that I am, because of my parents. They nurtured and taught me so that I could do the exact same in return for my own child. I don’t know who I would be without their great love. Thank you mom and dad for giving me  the ultimate gift – a birthday and wonderful reminder of just how much I am loved.