As she is not in the best of health, we wanted to plan something simple.  For starters, we called the newspaper and arranged to have her photo printed on the front page of the Sunday morning’s special section for engagements, weddings, birthdays, etc.  We needed a current photograph of her, but didn’t want to make her suspicious by taking her picture.  Luckily, my sister had just purchased a new iPhone and was eagerly taking photos of everything in site.  As a result, it was very natural for her to simply ask my Mom to pose here and there around the house. 

          We could hardly wait for the day to arrive and on Sunday morning, we placed the newspaper on the kitchen table.  When Mom sat down for breakfast, the first thing she would see would be her face staring back up at her.  Sure enough, she was thoroughly surprised and delighted. But her birthday was on Wednesday and there was still more to come.

           We invited several of Mom’s friends and relatives to join us for birthday cake on Wednesday.  In addition, the week before her birthday, my cousin Stuart called me from North Carolina.  I was thrilled when he said to me, “I’m going to fly to Madison to spend the day with Aunt Elie.” He added that he also called his brother Jeff, in Door County Wisconsin, and they would both be here. They only had time to stay overnight and fly back the next day, but they were anxious to be with all of us on her birthday. 

          We warned everyone not to say a word about the surprise party for Mom, although I almost “spilled the beans,” myself.  Only a day before her birthday, by sheer coincidence, Mom mentioned she had found some old photos of cousin Stuart and Jeff and that she would send the pictures to them.   Luckily, I caught myself just in time, because I almost blurted out, “Oh you can just give them the pictures when they are here !!”

          The first to arrive on the day of Mom’s birthday were Stuart and Jeff.  But when they walked in the door Mom just looked at them with a blank expression on her face.  Later when I asked her, “Didn’t it shock you to see our cousins?  She said, “Actually, my first reaction was to simply wonder what were they doing in town.” Nevertheless, she was pleased and happy to see them.  Everyone else soon arrived and we all had a wonderful time. It was a great birthday, probably one of Mom’s best ever.  And though she didn’t say a word, I imagine that she was probably wishing my Dad were still alive to share this very special day with her.
YOUR PHOTO STORY

"The Birthday Party"
                                                by Lorraine Frank


       Ordinarily, a typical party only last a few hours.  But this occasion called for a special celebration.  After all, how many times would Mom turn 90 years young?  For weeks before her birthday, she kept insisting that she did not want any kind of party.  “They are for small children and young people,” she insisted.  “By the time you reach my age, it is just another day.”  Thus, we simply smiled and said nothing.  After all, we had decided to plan a surprise party anyway and had no intention of saying a word to her.
©
2008 Lorraine Frank