June is a rather interesting and exciting month. When I was growing up, June meant no school, sleeping late, and…the birthday of a certain someone. A guest writer on this blog, the baby of the family, my sister—Janice!
The day itself didn’t really matter. She insisted, and still does, that the entire month is hers. As other people entered the family and children and grandchildren were born, there were other June birthdays that needed to be celebrated. But just as the planets move around the sun, so were our days ordered as we moved around her day, THE day, June 22.
There was only one tiny problem—the willow flies hatched on her birthday at Guntersville Lake. My dad and my mom’s brothers always took that week off to go fishing. So, the birthday festivities always took place in Guntersville, Alabama, with our cousins. Usually we took a picnic to the lake for Janice’s party, where she faithfully reminded us that her birthday was overshadowed by the hatching of the flies and the biting of the brim fish.
Another small problem was that by this time, school had already been dismissed for the year, so she missed the requisite birthday cupcakes during class. So, for these reasons, we simply had to proclaim the month of June her birthday month. And hey, why not celebrate an entire month? Life is passing so quickly that 30 days seems like an appropriate amount of time.
As she has gotten older (not matured, I might add), she is the first one to announce the forthcoming of June. At her party, she takes turns smearing icing on the grandkids’ noses, and even my 38-year-old son Brian gets in on it—it’s a ritual!
She had a history of running her finger through the icing of any cake mom made growing up. This tradition began when she was only three years old. Mom had made this beautiful cake, iced it pink, and covered the entire top with halves of cherries. It was so beautiful. We were all outside playing, and it was time for dinner. When Mom lifted the cake cover to reveal her masterpiece, Janice has eaten every cherry off the top when no one was looking. So just imagine the cake pictured above, but with craters like the moon in place of the flowers.
This is one of the many reasons why we love Janice—she takes ordinary and makes it special. And in this case that something special turned into tradition. So, June is here and will continue to be Janice’s birthday month. Happy birthday to the baby in our family! We love you!
Summer is a splendid time to start family traditions. Make June the kickoff to something new for you and your loved ones. Bake a cake, celebrate life, play, and make the most of each day!