The Light That Found Me

Dearest Orion,

Today was my birthday - and for once, I let it all sink in.

I spent it with my daughter and our friends, soaking in the kind of laughter that fills a room without asking permission. I didn’t plan a grand celebration. I didn’t need to. The magic found me anyway.

The day was lit not only by fireworks but by people. Beautiful people - family, friends, and even those I haven’t spoken to in a while - who reached out with messages, calls, and posts just to say: I see you. I remember you. I’m glad you were born.

And I felt it. Every word. Every little flicker of kindness. Isn’t it something how love can find its way in through pixels and phone calls, poolside breezes and candlelight?

Sometimes, the older we get, the easier it becomes to brush birthdays aside. To downplay them. To keep moving.

But not today.

Today I stood still. I allowed myself to feel celebrated. To receive.

And just when I thought my heart couldn’t stretch any further, I remembered - tomorrow night, my boys come home. My heart will be whole again. What a gift, to celebrate the day I came into this world, knowing that the people I brought into it will soon be back under my roof. Safe. Close. Home.

So tonight, Orion, I whisper this:

Thank you for the reminders.

That I am loved.

That I belong.

That being here - right here, right now - is enough.

With an overflowing heart,

Me