We even give presents to our beloveds on their birthday, knowing that gifts are powerful instigators of joy and happiness.
Delighting our relatives and friends on their birthdays and realizing their wishes are desires that are deeply rooted in our ability to love.
Since when do people celebrate birthdays?
In 1300 BCE birthday celebrations were banned by the Catholic Church. To sidestep the ban, the celebration of a "Name Day" became the norm – on the day when the birth of a particular saint was celebrated all persons with the same name as the saint were allowed to celebrate.
Exactly when the celebrations of birthdays squirmed out of organised religion is not clear. I believe Protestantism forced it out and people grabbed the opportunity to personalize it. Be that as it may, today we are free to celebrate birthdays in any way we want as long as we don’t violate the laws of our country.
Read more about traditional birthdays here...
Today is the birthday of a very special lady
After marrying Geoff Jordan she continued to pursue the success that was achievable in her nursing career. She specialized in psychiatric disorders and became the youngest Director of Nursing of a psychiatric hospital in the Philadelphia area.
In 1999 her life came to a standstill when she and a colleague were kept hostage for forty-six hours by a mentally ill member of her staff.
Surviving six gun shots - while her colleague died after a single shot - Maria rearranged her priorities and goals. Among others, she replaced her first priority of ‘being successful’ with ‘being grateful’.
Maria's perspectives on many issues, published in Hubpages, and her musings, published in Weebly, as well as several books and anthologies published in amazon.com, shed light on all the lessons she has learned while recovering from her physical and emotional wounds.
Do you believe in miracles? I once asked her. Her answer:
“Without a shadow of a doubt, I believe in miracles. It is a miracle I am alive and life could not be more of a gift as a result.”
To me Maria is more than only an online friend. Thanks to modern technology she became my soul-sister, always with me in spirit, like the imaginary friend I have had in my childhood.
Happy birthday, dearest Maria!
Thank you so much, Mar, for being you ♥
Maria’s first message to me
Hi Martie,
I've been thinking about you and wanted you to know I am always here if I can help with anything. I think we have much in common. I will be 50 in November and I think we are both amazingly resilient as survivors of our own stuff.
All my love & always here for you,
Maria (marcoujor is Maria Couchara Jordan by the way...)