Birthday Celebrating

Tonight was a good night. We celebrated Mike's birthday and I suppose you could call it a milestone. It's been three days since a fire destroyed Mike and Joy's home. Most of their belongings are gone. The bathroom floor is covered in ashes and the ceiling to most of upstairs is gone. Jewelry is literally melted silver and gold. Pictures were lost and their new AND antique furniture is ruined. All of the things we take for granted--theirs are gone.

But they're alive.

And tonight, we celebrated with one another. We sat around the table like any other birthday with the Starr's except for a few exceptions... Carol and Melissa held Sam for the first time. Jasper had French fries and cake for dinner. Joy and Mike kissed each other more often than usual. Jeremy and I joked about taking the leftover cake home because they had no fridge. We took post-fire pictures of one another--all smiles (except for Jere). Neil gave his dad a birthday card from the dogs and it was actually signed by them--in mud no less! I bragged about Sam smiling for the first time. We laughed about how easy it would finally be to buy their Christmas presents--they used to have everything they needed. We fought over the bill and joked that Red Cross should pay it. I laughed more and enjoyed them more.

Sitting across from them, I was especially grateful tonight that that they'd be here to love on Jasper and Sam a little longer. If we learned anything from Katrina, we know that the contents of a house isn't what makes a home. It's just stuff and it can be replaced. Even pictures can be reprinted. It wasn't just another birthday, but an opportunity to appreciate each other more. They'll eventually rebuild and no doubt, Joy will buy new things! We'll probably get a little tired of each other after being all under one roof, but I'm glad we have a place for them to stay. Jeremy and I certainly appreciate the extra help with the boys.

Happy Birthday Mr. Mike. This year can only get better!