Birthdays

Why is it that as I age, I dread the birthday thing more?  I should celebrate the fact that I'm still here and able to celebrate.  My AZ family did that for me this year, and it was really great.  My brother and his wife came out, brought the pizza, and added their son, his wife, and their three kids to the mix.  It was GREAT!  Only thing that would have made it better would have been if our other family members could have been here too.  The pizza was teriffic, the company was even better.  The little ones were wonderful.  Seeing everyone around the dining room table that we had used at our parents' home back in Illinois was bittersweet--glad it's getting used for family gatherings, but sad all the family isn't still with us.  Guess that's the real purpose of birthdays--gatherings and memories.  Just be glad you are still around to create them!