On Sunday we celebrated my youngest daughter’s 18th birthday. It came at the end of a cold and rainy winter, but the daffodils were in bloom and the cherry blossoms had just begun to open. The sky was the bright white of late winter.
So many birthdays, so many parties at the home where I’ve raised my children.
My daughter once again requested a flower cake and I dipped the pansies in sugar like I always do. I made my mother’s buttercream frosting from scratch and gently frosted the vanilla cake made the night before. Rhythm, traditions, motions from the past.
I love the quiet morning before a party. The doors open, and the crackle of anticipation in the air. Sunday afternoon with a varied menu of fresh ingredients makes for a lovely party regardless of the occasion. I cut fresh lemons from my lemon tree, fill white platters with food while music plays.
A large boutique of flowers and a dozen pink and white balloons adorn the library table in our nook. There is comfort in the way I’ve always done things that link these years together like a chain of daisies. I’ve started to use the word “we” as my daughters assist me. The way “we” do things is a more common phrase as now these things are done together.
In the afternoon, the familiar friends pour in to celebrate and the day flies by like a dream. Nothing has changed and everything has changed. This time next year both my daughter’s will be in college, and I will likely be sending my birthday wishes via text or in the mail.
It’s ironic the college admissions scandal has broken now as this last year of high school ends. I watched both my daughters and their friends work so hard to earn their right to attend the colleges of their choice. It’s encouraging that these practices will end, although it is an education in privilege to learn that it is possible to buy something as valuable as an education, and not just the superficial trappings of wealth.
It is a time of transition for not just me, but on a larger scale as our society is changing. It’s a new chapter for everyone. No longer are the crimes of the elite and powerful hidden. As my daughters enter adulthood and take flight from the security of the home they have always known this is nothing, but a good thing.
Love and blessings to all.
Sydney 