Happy Birthday, Happy New Year!

Today is my son, Dane’s birthday!

My son, was born on New Year’s Eve. His due date came and went and my doctor decided to induce me. So, I actually had the opportunity to choose his birthday. I chose New Year’s Eve because I knew for the rest of his life there would always be a party somewhere. To me, it was the best gift I could give him. Long after I am gone, he will be ringing in the new year, a year older on New Year’s Eve. He will always have the next day off to rest and recuperate. For me, this was how I wanted to celebrate his birthday, by giving him the same day as the biggest celebration on the planet!

My children have been my reward. I chose to be a stay at home mom with both my children. I have never regretted that one bit. We sow seed into their lives. We give them birth and we share their joys and sorrows. We watch them bloom, and we are there when they fall. Our purpose, in the end, is to give them wings and to equip them with those things that will propel them into adulthood as happy and healthy and loved.

Seen here with Dane’s childhood friend, Christopher Wyatt and a Texas Ranger baseball game in Fort Worth, TX

My son brings me joy in ways I never thought I ever deserved. He has taught me the true meaning of love and of sacrifice. We are bound together for life, and multitudes of lifetime cannot separate the love we have for each other. He has taught me mindfulness, kindness and go with the flow. We have laughed and we have cried. He has taught me as many lessons, as I have him. We lean on each other strengths and we share out weaknesses. We read each other’s mind.

I rarely get to celebrate his birthday with him anymore. He is grown, and prefers to spend New Year’s with friends, which is what I always intended for him. He is in Vegas this weekend to see Lady Gaga in concert on New Year’s. I cannot imagine a better time for New Year’s Eve/Birthday combined. New Year’s Eve is a great day to be born! You’ve got your mom to thank for that!

Dane and I at Christopher’s wedding. Dane was his Best Man.

The fact that our lives intersect with our family and friends on one day each year and we get to share their special day, is something that will never, ever happen again to any two people. Birthdays are as unique as each individual and we should strive to make them feel special.

Let’s take birthdays to another level and begin celebrating the person. Let’s pick up the phone and actually have a conversation, or invite them for a meal or a drink. The one on one time spent with each other cannot be duplicated. Time you spend with that person, on their special day, in this lifetime, can never come again. A very large part of my Bringing in the Sheaves this year is to make birthdays a true celebration for those I love. I want it to be sincere and meaningful. It’s not an occasion to be wasted on a cliche on social media.

Headshot, IMdB profile picture, 2016

Dane works in the movie industry in Los Angeles. He is an On Set Dresser for TV, commercials, feature films and music videos. If you’d like to see what all he has done, you can check him out in iMDB here:

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5531811/

Mickey Mouse Cowboy, Age 3

Dane and Sister, Abee. She is 2 and he is 9 in this picture.

Happy 2 year old

Dane and his Great Grandma, Mimi. She told me when he was born, that all the instructions could be found on the bottom of his feet. She also said he would be a well centered person because of the way his hair rounds at the ground. It is perfectly centered on the back of his head. Interesting, but true!

This is Dane and Corrie when they were 4 years old. Corrie and her family lived in the guesthouse in our backyard. A few months after this photo was taken, we found them both in the back of her dad’s pickup truck, parked in the driveway and Dane was cutting Corrie’s hair off at the scalp. It was her first haircut. She showed up the next day with the frilliest dress I have ever seen. It was the only way you could even tell she was a girl. We didn’t want them to be afraid to play together after the hair cutting incidence. Dane informed us that day, after she left, that neither of them had a problem with cutting all her hair off.

Dane and his Dad at my mom’s horse farm in the Texas Hill Country.

Dad, Dane and Mom at the Bicentennial of the Texas Capital in 1988.

Ninja turtle Birthday party!

Party Animal! New Year’s Eve Birthday!

Perhaps we should have named him Carlos from the Hangover?

Dane’s first job in Los Angeles was working for the Sound company called, Dane Tracks. Seen here is the Oscar they won for sound for The Matrix. Dane Tracks was founded in 1986, the year Dane was born. He worked here for a year and a half as an intern for no pay. When it started to feel like he might never make money in this industry, Dane kept reminding me of the coincidence of the name of the company and the fact it was founded the year he was born. There was absolutely no way to argue with that logic! I’m so glad he stuck it out, and so are we!

Dane and his dog, Sukie on a walk in LA

Dane in San Francisco in 2012. We were walking along the waterfront and found this row boat. We had to take a picture. Someone please send this to Ralph Lauren. Or to the hat company where we bought this hat that day. Look at that jaw line!

Dane is Rockstar cool in my opinion, but I’m just his Mom. What do I know?!

Happy Birthday,

Happy New Year!

Love you forever!

Xoxo

Mom