Tuesday, May 7, 2019

Phoebe is Four



Phoebe has been celebrated for several days now.  She is just a delight, especially when we wonder aloud who would need a present? Or what are these cupcakes for? And let's have a party just because, right? And when Phoebe remembers all over again that it's her birthday, she bubbles over with joy.



Yes, darling, let's have lots of joy. Let's remember the first few moments of your life, your wondering eyes and calm.  Let's see again the sweetness of your brother and sister meeting you for the first time.


We need this joy to counterbalance, to season, the pain of other dear ones who are sick and dying.  And I do believe there is joy for them on the other side of death, but for us who stay here? Oh, that is hard. Phoebe asked me the other day: "when is Uncle Ron going to come back to life?"  Getting Jesus and Easter and our loved ones all stirred in together.

Joy and pain.  The contrast that makes the patchwork of life.


 Let's look now at the Phoebe's birthday cupcakes - made and decorated by Genevieve, shared with preschool friends and then later with grandparents.  I don't have a good photo of the layer cake I made for Phoebe - it's from Smitten Kitchen Every Day and I highly recommend it.  Easy to make and one of the best-tasting cakes I've had in a long time. It was a yellow cake with fudge icing, and Phoebe requested "pink and purple" ice cream, so we had strawberry and raspberry ice cream to go with it.



Happy, happy birthday, darling girl! Many happy returns!


6 comments:

Becky said...

Happy Birthday! Four is just the best age. And yellow cake with fudge icing is absolutely, hands down, the best cake. I don't even know why there are other cakes.
And hugs for all the hard stuff. xo

Alica said...

Happy Birthday Phoebe!! Good choice on the raspberry ice-cream, especially!

Hazel said...

Happy birthday Phoebe! Great cakes :-)

jenny_o said...

Happy Birthday to your sweet little girl. And my condolences on the loss of your uncle, and for your dear friends' sadnesses. Life can be so hard; we surely do need to celebrate the joyous occasions.

e said...

Four already! Such a delight, such a joy. She is surely a counterbalance to the ways of the Universe.
Sending love and light...

BLD in MT said...

Happy belated birthday to your sweet little one--increasingly not so little!
Wow. Four already. Aw, that baby Phoebe post was just heart-melting. I'm glad you relinked it. Same with the post about your visit to your Aunt and Uncle. This is one of the things I love about blogging, that ability to revisit my thoughts of a particular time. It is a wonderful, albeit, incomplete record of life lived. I imagine it is similar for you.

I sure am sorry about your losses and heartache, but pray that you're finding comfort in family, friends, and faith and that all the joy in the flowers, in the changing seasons, in life is healing for your spirit.

This is a beautiful post, capturing the highs and lows--the patchwork of life. Lovely symbolism.

She's a beautiful girl and how extra sweet that her big sissy made her cupcakes!