Billy and I are flying back from Sacramento this evening. Yesterday was my birthday, and I wanted to spend it with Sandra. Memories of my birthdays have been flooding over me. Until last year I spent over a decade of birthdays with Sandra and John, first at the Kona Village Resort, then two years ago, after the resort had been decimated by the tsunami following the earthquake in Japan, at their home at Glenbrook on Lake Tahoe.
We hadn't seen them since late July at Glenbrook, and I couldn't think of anything I wanted to do for my birthday, except spend it with Sandra. We spent two consecutive days visiting with them at their home. Sandra is no longer leaving home except for medical appointments. She is painfully thin. But she is so still Sandra in every other way. We spent my birthday looking at photo albums, eating green burritos from Del Taco, and then cupcakes.
When I would wake up on my birthday at the Kona Village the first thing I would receive was a birthday greeting email from Max. He lives on the east coast six hours ahead of Kona time, so getting the first birthday greeting in was not a huge feat. Still it meant a great deal to me. When we would leave our hale, Lava Samoan 8, to walk down to Hale Moana for breakfast, we would often find a birthday balloon tied to the railing of our hale. This, compliments of the thoughtful and very fun Director of Rooms, Cindy. When Sandra and John arrived at breakfast I would put on my birthday tiara, which I wore most of the day. In the evening I would change to my birthday queen crown. Often strangers would say Happy Birthday as they passed me on the path, or when they saw me at lunch. It would take me a moment to remember: Ah yes, the tiara. Once after I changed into the crown, before we met John & Sandra at the Bora Bora Bar where we had originally been introduced to them, a guest commented to me: You've changed your tiara. Yes, this was the evening one. It was all so silly and delightful.
I don't think that I will have birthdays like that again. And, like all special memories, I'm not sure I appreciated just how good it was at the time. And now, seeing Sandra struggling, but with the same spirit that has always been Sandra, I miss those times more than is imaginable. Sacramento is not Kona. But Sandra is still Sandra, and thankfully is still with us.
It wasn't an easy trip. But it wasn't about my birthday, really. It was about visiting a friend, a sister, a frister. My frister extraodinaire. And appreciating all of the good times that we have shared. It's like she said to me, you know we have to be really grateful that we had all those times there. And I am. And I am beyond thankful that one evening, our bartender Carole, introduced us to each other. From there we became friends who traveled together around California and Nevada, and to Tahiti and Panama. We had good times, and made the best memories. Spending birthdays with her has been the best gift I could receive. And for all of the other times, and for the pure joy of knowing her, I am and will always be eternally grateful.
Thank you for reading my blog.
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