A L'Arche Birthday

Today is my birthday and a work day... but I was happy to go to work, because people at L'Arche can be counted on to celebrate any and every occasion. When I arrived, one of my favourite assistants had left a beautiful Northern Lights postcard on my desk. She appeared a little later to give me a hug. And Thomas overheard. "Your birthday?! Happy Birthday!" he said, and gave me a hug. A little while later, he gave me another hug when I reminded him of my birthday. The next time I saw him, I said, "It's my birthday, Thomas!" and he said, "I hugged you this morning." No fooling him!

I've been missing so many L'Arche events and activities because of my dizziness lately that I've been feeling a bit like an outsider. But today, I realized that even though I'm not there as much as I'd like, I'm still part of the family. I'm not sure how they managed, but the L'Arche community pulled a birthday cake out of thin air before I had to catch my bus home... and twenty people with and without disabilities sang for me and gave me a card. We all got a piece of cake, and I haven't stopped smiling since because of all the hugs from my L'Arche family. Sandy just wordlessly came and put her head against my shoulder.

Any excuse to party is a good one! My birthday included. Happy Birthday to me!