SURPRISE!

 I suspect that you have absolutely no real need to know this but I am going to tell you anyhow.

My birthday is fast approaching!

And I am mentioning this and writing of it not because I am expecting any special or very expensive gifts. I have gotten over such expectations years ago.

What I do expect is that I will begin the day, hopefully, with Mass in the nearby Felician Care Center. Later that day here at Senior Clergy Village we will gather and have a special dinner together with my requisite birthday apple pie! Every month we set aside a day to celebrate all who are observing birthdays in that month. 

The birthday song will be sung (likely without everyone or anyone washing their hands) and birthday candles will not be blown out. Covid - remember! Of course, thinking about that scene, if I did actually blow out the candles, no one could have any of the pie and it would be all mine!

But the one thing that will not occur is a gathering eager to pounce and shout out, "Surprise!"

That would be rather difficult to achieve this year with things like masks and social distancing.

No problem.

But the approach of this annual event has caused me to do a bit of looking back and remembering how, over the years, I seem to have provided family and friends with something of a challenge.

A Surprise Birthday Party!

Many have tried.

And honestly, many have failed.

Over my many years of this life's journey it seems that I have managed to ruin a good number of Surprise Birthday events. I don't really know why that seems to be and I might also add at this point, I do not intend this in any way to be a challenge to anyone.  For whatever months and years yet remain, we can rest content with what has been.

Surprise Birthdays have just not found a place in my life.

But I do have to admit, looking back I am grateful for those efforts and appreciative of the work and planning that folks in my life have put forth. And honestly, in writing about these efforts, I just may destroy some illusions that some might have had about how successful (?) their efforts had been in producing that surprise for me.

Three really big surprise moments stand out in my memory and I have decided to move into this year's birthday by recalling those moments, reliving them by writing of them, and also sharing how, with all the work and planning that went into them, they still unraveled and proved to be really no surprise at all.

Or wait! Each had some element of surprise and I hope to capture that.

And there was one really classic birthday celebration that did have a huge element of surprise, not just for me but for everyone involved. This one was not actually planned to be a surprise but it certainly was.

That was the year of a wondrous party with a very special cake. (Yes, there were times when I did have cake for birthdays.)

This cake, as I recall, had that special inscription: Happy 40th Birthday, Fr. Ron!

Everyone had gathered to celebrate my 40th Birthday, a very significant event to be sure.

But maybe in advance someone should have consulted my parents or even me.

Because, you see, in reality, it was only my 39th Birthday!

Surprise!

For me! Surprise! They think you're 40!

For everyone there! You just may have to do it all over again next year!

Truly - Surprise!

But come on back as I share with you some memories of those other efforts at Surprise!

Meantime, Keep Praying . . . and Stay Safe!