Category Archives: 2. Saturday Centus

To his prayer, Calen added, “If you make them give me an iPad, I’ll even tell my sister I love her.”

In the morning he opened his birthday present, an iPad.

Would God mind if he didn’t keep THAT promise?

Dressing for school, he saw a piece of paper. “G.O.D.” and “PLEASE REMIT YOUR PAYMENT PROMPTLY!” were written on it. His mother explained the words meant there was big trouble if you didn’t pay your debt.

To his mother’s surprise, he hugged his sister and said he loved her before leaving.

Picking up the account, “He’s worried about this iPad C.O.D.. I’d better pay it.”

“What do you want?” daddy called.

“A BIRTHDAY PARTY FLAVOR!” mummy replied.

I wanted to give mummy something special. Now I knew what she wanted but what flavor is a birthday?

On her special day, “Mummy, this is for you.”

She opened her gift but looked confused.

“It’s chocolate to taste, perfume to smell, a heart picture to see, and music on your iPod. I thought about your senses.”

Mummy smiled, “What about touch?”

I gave her a huge hug, “I hope I got the birthday flavors right.”

Later that day I realized I’d misunderstood. She’d really asked daddy for a birthday favor.

“Happy birthday!” woke me in the morning.

Hugs and kisses followed but I knew they had planned more. Their mummy had warned me.

Each handed me an envelope with writing in bright crayon, “To DaDDy.”

 One promised me hugs every morning and night. The other promised me smiles to make my day happy. Both promised kisses.

“Wait! There’s more! We’re taking you and mummy to the zoo.”

As I walked around the zoo with my twins, I knew this was a happy day. I’d have smiles, hugs and kisses to keep others that way.

What better present could there be on your birthday?

Schools and students have permission to use this graphic for non-commercial, educational purposes.

“He said! She said!” a frustrated mother copied her arguing children.

“But, Jacob was cheating.”

“No, Kayla was cheating.”

Mother frowned, “How many times have I asked you not to accuse each other of something bad? Be polite and don’t argue.”

The two had to change tactics.

“I’m sorry for saying you were cheating, Jacob.”

“I’m sorry too,” Jacob replied.

“That’s better. Now, what has happened?”

“We had been taking turns. It was my turn but Jacob took it instead.”

Jacob summoned his most innocent expression, “I know we were taking turns and one of us was mixed up but it wasn’t me.”

Kids!

Matilda was almost at the top, “You still got me?”

“I’ll never let you go,” her belaying father called from below.

Two others were talking, “He’s crying. What’s his story?”

“Matilda had heart failure and needed a transplant. She was one of the lucky ones. A donor heart became available.”

“She looks so well. His tears are for joy?”

“I asked him. He said joy but also for the parents who lost their child but donated a heart.”

“Organ donation is important.”

Matilda was back on the floor wiping tears from her father’s eyes, “You’re such a baby.”

He smiled.

“Mmmuuummm! It’s happening again.”

“It’s an amusing little whine,” a mother said to her friend.

“He sounds so upset.”

The mother smiled, “Go and ask him what’s wrong.”

The friend stood and walked into the room where the boy sat. She soon returned, a broad smile upon her face.

“Now I see his problem,” the friend agreed.

In the other room, the boy watched intently. He knew what was happening but it was still a surprise for him.

“She’s having another one mum. How many will she have?” he called out.

A fifth puppy had arrived. The boy had run out of names for them.

Has it really been a decade? I mean, really, where has the time gone?

I watched my daughter sleeping. It was her 10^th birthday. How angelic she looked and how soon the moment would be broken by the excitement on her waking. All too short a time ago, I would cradle her in my arms as she would gurgle and smile up at me.

She was waking.

I kissed her on her cheek, “Happy birthday.”

She wrapped her arms around me, “Thanks, daddy.”

She scrambled out of bed, excited by the expected gift.

Ten years of happy memories bundled up in the joy of my life.

“You could have had it all. You were in a high paid job and on the track to fame and fortune yet you threw it in to become a teacher.”

An elderly man smiled weakly at his nephew, “Riches aren’t always measured in wealth and fame.”

“But what has it given you?” the nephew asked.

Smiling, “Read some cards.”

There were many to choose from as every spare space had been taken up by them. The nephew started to read…

“To the best teacher in the world.”

“You were there when I needed someone.”

“Okay,” the nephew agreed, “but you could’ve had it all.”

“I did.”

Kalea strode across the dais on her kindergarten graduation day. Tears of joy were in our eyes as we watched.

She was so little when we’d received the news. She had neuroblastoma. The doctors said she was in the low risk category and had a good chance of cure. Our hearts had skipped a beat. Cancer was cancer.

To look at her now, you’d never know. Her hospital friend’s odds were not so good. She was also five when she lost her battle.

Running to us, she said, “This is for Niamh too.”

“She’d be proud of you,” we replied.

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Note: While this is a fictional story, Niahm is not. She was a brave little girl who suffered from neuroblastoma, a very common form of cancer in young children. Her parents had been raising awareness of the cancer. Despite her parents’ efforts to raise funds for the surgery they hoped would save her, she recently lost her battle. She was only five and someone I came to know through Twitter.

Melanie giggled, “I think she’s a fashion model. Look at her shoes.”

Abbie had another idea, “I think she is really a princess. She’s hiding from the evil queen.”

A man with shiny, black shoes walked by.

“He’s a police officer. They have shiny shoes.”

Abbie laughed, “No, he’s the prince looking for his princess.”

Another set of legs approached.

“Girls, why are you under the table?” a voice asked.

Abbie and Melanie sat up giggling.

“Sorry, mum, we were watching people go by and were guessing who they really were.”

“Abbie thinks everyone is a prince or princess.”