Today would have been Mike’s 37th birthday on earth. Today he gets to celebrate his birthday in heaven instead of here on earth. Here on earth where I would be teasing him for being what we thought was so old.
To me, he will be forever 34.
Today he would have woken up to the house decorated with balloons and crate paper. The dorkiest of banners made by the kids and I on butcher paper I brought home from my school’s teacher supply room would have been hung on the walls throughout the house. Silly cards waiting to be read. Most likely a new Fox Racing shirt wrapped in kiddy wrapping paper left over from one of the boys’ last birthday. Probably some new power tool he wanted that I had to ask my dad what it was exactly and where to get it would be in the garage waiting for him. Maybe even a new gadget for one of his guns or a video game that just came out. He would have swore to me he wouldn’t let boys play, yet 3 controllers would be on the couch after I got home from running an errand. He also would have promised me he wouldn’t need anything else for his newest gun. I would know that was so not true.
His parents would have called bright and early to play their traditional chipmunks happy birthday song on their record player over the phone as they did every year since he was a little boy. He would pretend as if he was listening, roll his eyes, put the phone down and come back to it about 2 minutes later when he knew they were done with their cheesy tradition. I always knew deep down he appreciated it.
My sister would be texting him some funny picture she photoshopped with him in it and telling him Happy Birthday, Mike-old, as she always called him and making fun of 37 being old.
To me, he will be forever 34.
We would go out to dinner to a restaurant he would choose. He’d have a cold beer, some kind of meat and a big ice cream sundae to follow for his birthday dessert. The boys and I would try to steal bites. He would push our spoons away with his like a sword fight as we would reach in for another bite and tell us it was HIS birthday in some funny, nerdy voice.
He would have been laughing as he read texts from his buddies with inappropriate messages wishing him a happy birthday. He would have received a birthday card from his grandma and shaken it before he opened it to check to see if it was filled with confetti. Then he would prepare himself for it to fall out all over him and laugh while shaking his head.
At the end of the night he would have told me, I don’t feel 37 I still feel like I’m 20. I would have most likely told him, well… you act like it. He would have laughed and called me his “Old Lady” like he always did. I would remind him that I was younger, like I always did.
This is what would have been on his 37th birthday.
But to me, he will forever be my handsome, funny and wise 34 year old husband in heaven.
It’s hard not to think about what would have been happening today if he was here.
It’s NOT hard to celebrate him though and that’s exactly what we are doing today!
Happy Birthday, Mike! We love you and miss you so much.
