Growing up as an only child, you don't have to worry about sharing things with siblings. But for me, I’ve shared one thing with my cousin, Jade. She is the same age, with the only exception being our birthdays are five days apart in April. When given the opportunity, I like to say that I’m older as a joke. Nonetheless, we’ve had to share a few birthdays and I remember one during Easter 2011.
For our sixth birthday, we celebrated at a park in Fairfield with friends and family. Lots of food was placed on this long brown picnic table. Mostly a variety of Filipino food. There was never a time that we didn’t have a big tray of lumpia. All the kids grabbed some, even while running and playing around.
But when it was time to go Easter egg hunting, it was the main event of our birthday celebration. Scattered across the grass were Easter eggs of different colors. My cousins and I were handed pink baskets by my Aunt Jen, while we wore colorful tutus and butterfly headbands. Our family members helped us pick eggs up, filled with candy or dollar bills.
You can’t forget about the golden egg. Unfortunately, I did not get it, and Jade didn’t either. We had the same disappointment. It was time for cake, which was Tangled-themed. Jade and I thought it was the best thing ever. She was also known for blowing out my candles in the past, so looking back, maybe it was a good idea that we did it together.
However, this shared birthday stood out from the rest. We remember this one the most from our childhood. I believe it's from us starting to realize that at that moment, we were creating our safest and happiest moments. Yes, I did learn about sharing. But most of all, it was the feeling of having someone to grow up with.
Who knows, maybe this year we’ll celebrate our birthdays together. Until then, I’ll always look back on our shared birthdays with a smile, being thankful for having Jade in those moments.
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Hi Alexis
ReplyDeleteI love your story about this core memory about the birthday party you share with your cousin. Its like the bond you would have with a sibling! Its so cute thst you could do egg hunts since you share a birthday in April. I have little siblings and they love doing egg hunts any time of the year. The golden egg is always the best to find! I wish one of you found it since you were the birthday girls. Great work!
Hi Alexis, these wholesome childhood memories are worth cherishing. Although, for most of my life I have had to spend my time with my little brother. Sharing everything, but one thing I didn’t have to share was my birthday. I was glad I had one thing I didn’t need to share. After reading this, sharing your birthday doesn’t seem so bad, it seems enjoyable. Sharing something so personal like your birthday seems really nice, but dang getting that golden egg would've been nice too. Regardless, I’m glad you had someone close to you to grow up with. Thank you for sharing! Great job :)
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