Three generations and a birthday

My mother celebrated her 62nd birthday last week and co-incidentally was staying at my house then. My mother, Sia, my 5 year old nephew and I went out for dinner to celebrate. As the kids rambled amongst themselves and played with the food, my nephew whispered to me to call the restaurant guys and tell them to sing a happy birthday song for grandma. He did it as secretly as he could and even tried his best to curtail his excitement of not letting grandma know what we had planned.

Imagine his delight when the restaurant owners did his bidding. He had a proud look and a smile which never left his face as he subtly signaled to grandma that he had arranged this while she tucked into her Chinese food. I found myself looking at the three generations with a lot of nostalgia. It was many years before when my mother surprised me with little delights on my birthday, then I grew up and started surprising her. Now its was the turn of the grandchildren to concoct surprises for her. It was wonderful to see how each generation raises the bar and continues to express the same feeling of love, albeit in different ways.

As my mother asked both the kids to cut the cake, there was a look of deep contentment on her face. Maybe it was because of what her grandchild had done for her or the memory of her past years, but she seemed happy and satisfied. My daughter dug into the ice-cream and didn't care whose birthday it was. All she wanted was the goodies which came with it. She did not wish naani that day but talked about naani's birthday for days after that.

I couldn't help wondering how birthdays would be celebrated when I turn 60 years old. Would the feeling of joy a birthday is associated with be totaled marred by commercialisation or as they say life goes full circle, we would have understood by then that the biggest of joys lie in the simplest of things. Would I too have a contented look on my face as my mother for a life well lived? What surprises would my daughter come up with? Who all would be by my side when I cut my 6oth birthday cake? My daughter would be 25 years old then, all grown up, all woman. Would she accept my cuddles and kisses then or shoo them away as the whims of an old woman getting all embarrassed by them?

I know there are many more years to turning 60 but who's to stop the mind from wandering. We human beings love to dwell upon the future while holding on to the past. While all it takes really is the fulfillment of the present. And I certainly felt all fulfilled that day when three generations got together to appreciate the woman we all love. The expressions might be different but the feelings were all the same. Long live Grandma, as my nephew Kris would say. Amen!

Till my next post. You can write to me at http://mammamania.in

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