By Rick Rodriguez
Every year most of us celebrate our birthday with a bang! And, we usually celebrate the milestone birthdays even more extravagantly. Now, looking back those birthdays stand out poignantly especially now that I am a Father! I remember my 9th Birthday for the gift I received from my Father, an ABA Basketball; a basketball rim and net! The net was fashioned in red, white, and blue to match evenly with the ball. That birthday was special for me because in that moment, my life, became about basketball and that love has never left me!
These days capturing these moments is simpler thanks to the tech world we live in. As quick as a download, I've got my daughter's 9th birthday gifts online memorializing her gifts for posterity! I wonder what she'll think about when she's 46 and looks back on her 9th birthday gifts. Perhaps, she'll wonder how little she received; or how old the technology was back then (2009), or what compelled my Dad to write these silly words! I wonder whether she'll feel like she received something as memorable as I did when I was 9?
My hope is that when she looks back she remembers what she's given me in her short lifetime. The love of a child: the greatest love of all! I hope she knows that everyday of her 9 years has been a blessing to me! I hope she knows the love she brings into the world; the smile that melts my heart, and the tears I've shed for her. I hope she remembers the joy she has brought me on her 9th birthday. The expressions that make her so adorable. I hope she knows how much people admire her and are astonished by her friendliness and care for others! Yes, my daughter, is my sweetheart, and I love her very much! More than anything in the world (along with my boy--Justin)!
I am not sure what compelled my Father to give me that ABA Basketball, and I bet he doesn't even know that I remember! But, surely, somewhere hidden in that gift was the meaning that I've carried on to my kids. Thanks Dad for the ball and teaching me about the greatest gift of all! Happy 9th Birthday Amanda! I love you!
