My fifth birthday party
Posted on by Debbie

A Birthday Letter from Me

Let the birthday celebrations begin …..

As it’s my birthday today, I decided to write a letter to myself.  I tend to celebrate my birthdays with gusto – for example, when I turned 50 I spent the whole year in birthday mode! So indulge me…..

Happy birthday letter to me

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December is party month

My birthday is in mid-December, just two weeks out from Christmas.  I love the month of December – it’s party mode all month for me.  I don’t know if it’s something I’ve learnt to do so that I don’t miss out on any attention or if it’s just the pure joy of having a birthday but I just love to celebrate.  Being showered with love and gifts, all month, is also great fun!

I must admit I take a dim view of anyone who sends me a birthday card (yes I still get some cards in the actual real mail, but these days the money inside is missing) with a cheaper Christmas stamp on the envelope.  And don’t even think about wrapping my birthday gift with Christmas paper because that’s all you have lying around the house at the moment.  Definite no-no.  I’m not being ungrateful, would you wrap a birthday present in May with Christmas paper?  No I didn’t think so 🙂

December birthday

Happy Birthday to me!

OK – I admit that I saw this idea on someone else’s blog and loved the idea. I left a comment on her post and she encouraged me to give writing my own birthday letter a go, so here I am.   Come and enjoy the trip down memory lane with me.

Dear 1 year old Deborah: Apparently you were called Deborah in those days! Enjoy being the first born because soon enough you’ll have a sister and a brother for company.  Don’t expect to see your father very much in your first few years, he’s married to the Navy too.

Baby me
1960 with dad

Dear 5 year old Debbie: You are lucky to have made it to 5 years of age, what with car accidents with your mother, surviving dreadful illnesses and hospitalisation for months!  Thankfully all that baby fat gave you the strength to carry on.  You are now a proud big sister.

Sisterly love
Siblings
Sisters
My fifth birthday party

Dear 10 year old Debbie: Girl Guides, running, bike riding, reading, hanging out with friends and your new house in the bush make life one big adventure which sets the scene for your future.

Girl Guide camp
Debbie at 12 years old

Dear 16 year old Debbie: Who would have guessed that starting a part-time job as a check out chick would lead you to meet a tall, dark, handsome stranger who would feature heavily in your future life.

Soon after this you travel on your first overseas trip on a school excursion and survive a horrific accident in which 3 people die and you receive a Bravery Award from the Queen as a result.

Sweet 16
Sweet 16

Dear 19 year old Debbie: Your 19th birthday and in exactly a month’s time you’ll be marrying the love of your life.  When your father asks if you’re sure it’s what you want to do at only 19, that there’s no rush, that there’s a big wide world out there to explore – tell him you’ll do all the travel and adventuring together as a family. You’ve already started a new life by moving away from home, to Newcastle, and started saving to buy your first home together.

Engagement party
Just Married!

Dear 22 year old Debbie: Once you have your own house, it seems the right time to start a family and it doesn’t take long. Melanie arrives half way through the year and changes you from a couple, into a family of three, and you wonder how your heart can love someone so much.

Dear 25 year old Debbie: Life continues to get busier with the arrival of Sarah half way through this year, your heart continues to grow with love.  Melanie and Sarah are dubbed by some friends as Search and Destroy.

Dear 28 year old Debbie: By the time you are 28 you are the proud and happy mother of three beautiful and clever daughters with Eliza being your Bicentennial Project.  How much love can your heart take?  You are also a qualified breastfeeding counsellor (bet you didn’t see that one coming) and enjoy helping other mothers over the phone while your daughters wreak havoc around you. They love it when the phone rings – it means they can go wild and you can’t do anything about it.

3 girls in 1988
With my three girls in 1990
Girls in matching dresses
Sisters together at the wedding

Dear 32 year old Debbie: Don’t hesitate to take on the world, it’s a scary thought travelling to the other side of the world for the first time and going on a Teacher Exchange with three little girls in tow is full of unknowns, but believe me, it’s well worth the effort.  Saying yes to the opportunity becomes one of those life changing moments you’ll never regret.

Living in the UK in 1992
Living in the UK in 1992

Dear 40 year old Debbie: You know how you always wanted to be a teacher?  Well it finally happens and you start studying by distance education with 3 teenage girls at home, while also working 2 part-time jobs.  Graduation is a very proud moment, with the Mathematician and two of your girls there.

Your father rings you to tell you the story of how you came to be named Debbie – very special – treasure this moment.

Graduation Day
Graduation Day

Dear 50 year old Debbie: This is a huge year for you.  Turning 50 with a combined 110th birthday party with your friend Ros who turned 60, with a surprise visit from Melanie all the way from England, followed by an extended family weekend to a Queensland island where Sarah surprised you by coming home from England as well. You had all three girls, your parents, your brother and sister – and you met your youngest daughter’s new boyfriend (spoiler alert: he goes onto to become her husband). Then you continue the birthday celebrations by travelling to Europe with your parents, sister and daughters and go on a barge and bike ride from Paris to Bruges.  This time with your parents turns out to be very special.

Starting out in Paris
Cycle tour Paris to Bruge –

Since turning 50 you have lost your brother-in-law who died suddenly at age 55 and you wonder how you can cope with the awful grief.  Then a few years later your father dies and only a few months later your father-in-law dies suddenly while you are travelling the world on your 3 month Odyssey.  It is an extremely sad time so take every opportunity to see them, talk with them and show your love.  You also become Mother of the Bride – twice!

Family with bride and groom

Dear 52 year old Debbie:  A great idea! Why don’t you prepare yourself for a monumental photo at the precise moment of 12.12pm on 12/12/2012! It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity 🙂

Dear 56 year old Debbie:Don’t panic but your career of teaching in a men’s correctional centre  (YES, a prison) spanning over 2 decades, is about to end and you’ll be VERY upset about it all.  In fact it makes you very sick and stressed, as it’s not your choice to finish up this way.  Being made redundant is always hard but remember, it’s not you that’s been made redundant it’s the job. Hang in there, life will get better.

Dear 58 year old Debbie: Happy birthday Granny Debs!  Yes, you’re a grandmother now and don’t you just love this new role? Make sure you enjoy your new granddaughter but don’t neglect your own children, they were here first remember, and still need you to help and guide them through adulthood.

It’s a bittersweet birthday this year as it’s the first one since you lost your father in January and your father-in-law in July.  Spend time doing what you love is my only advice to you, as you never know what is around the corner. You and the Mathematician take a huge 3 month Odyssey during the year and visit bucket list places like Iceland, cycling in Amsterdam and the Tour de France.

Granny Debs and Emilia
Granny Debs and Emilia

It’s the end of wearing your 57 years bold t-shirt so put it away for your sister’s birthday, you know she’ll love to wear it one day soon 🙂

57 years bold
57 years bold

Happy birthday from me to you.

 Deb 🙂

It seems I have enjoyed writing a birthday post every year since starting my blog! did I tell you i love having my birthday??

Birthday Girl – 2013

Birthday thoughts – 2014

I just needed to crunch some leaves – 2015

Bring on 2017 – 2016

What makes the birthday girl so special – 2017

Midlife is an adventure

Feel free to leave me a comment below. I always love hearing from you and try to answer all your comments 🙂

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116 Replies to “A Birthday Letter from Me”

  5. Hi Deb, you had me there for a minute as I thought I had forgotten your birthday! What a beautiful post full of wonderful memories. We should all write ourselves a birthday letter shouldn’t we. My 62nd birthday is coming up in August so maybe that is a good time to put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard more likely. #lifethisweek

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  6. This is such a brilliant post Deb – I think it clearly shows that life is just like a rollercoaster, full of ups and downs, and the best we can do is hang on and enjoy the ride! Here’s to many more trips around the sun! Side note: I’m all about stretching birthday celebrations out for as long as possible, bring on the Birthday Festival!

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  11. I haven’t seen anyone doing this before, but it’s a lovely idea and as well as giving yourself the chance to look back at some memories, it also gives us as readers the chance to get to know you a bit better. Belated happy birthday to you and I totally agree about the Christmas paper 🙂

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  13. The sad makes sence now.😣 A piece of each of them resides in the children those here and those yet to come. We must have the happiest life we can. Each day can be filled with the fun and oddities that touched us. Memories are caught in a look or in a scent; heard in a saying and snatched in a second. Found in a verse of music or a taste of food. All these things grab us to and remind us they were here. We laugh at something once done or said. So they never truly go. We do have to let go of the sad to let it all flood in. I laugh out loud at least once a day at something that popped in my head from my Dad. So enjoy and remember with gusto. Have a great birthday weekend my virtual friend. Dad would say life’s to short for missing folk. 😂☺😎

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    1. That is so beautiful Ellen, many thanks for your compassionate and caring comment. It was just what I needed to hear and you are so right, we have to let go of the sad sometimes. Your dad would be right, life’s too short for missing folk, they’re with me every day. xx

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      1. I think we were just reading/commenting on each others posts at the same time!

        It’s fun to pop down memory lane with piccies isn’t it! 🙂

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  19. Oh Deb I so enjoyed reading your birthday letter to yourself. So much resonated with me. My daughter’s birthday is in December & we have always strived to make it special. So it’s a definite no to wrapping a birthday gift in Christmas paper! Then I realised our life journeys have so many similarities. I too was a breastfeeding counsellor; studied as a mother of teenagers; worked in goals, now a grandmother, have grieved the death or parents/ in laws/ and close friends. I too try to make the most of every moment as I am very aware we do not know what might be around the corner. Deb I hope you enjoyed reflecting on yourself and your birthdays. I certainly did. Happy birthday.

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    1. Thanks very much for your lovely comment Estelle. Isn’t it funny how we can meet someone who has had such similar paths? I’m amazed at all our similarities! I really enjoyed writing this post, although it took me quite a while, it is a great summary of just some aspects of my life so far. I found it hard at first to get the tone right, as in writing to myself and going back in time. So glad to have connected with you.

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  20. What a lovely idea this is. Wow, you have certainly had an eventful time of it! My husband is a Dec 12 birthday and I know how his younger self felt about combined presents – it’s not nice is it? My friend has her birthday on Christmas Day – which means that really she doesn’t get much time for her birthday at all!

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    1. Thanks Debs! Another December 12 buddy 🙂 I do think Christmas day would be worse though. I’m happy you enjoyed my birthday letter, I could have rabbited on for much longer but decided to highlight a few things I’ve not mentioned in previous posts too often. I’ve enjoyed my life so far, even the bad bits!!

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  21. LOVED reading this…and your life sure has had those ups and downs…..bumps and more…to now. Happy Birthday. I too graduated twice from Charles Sturt Uni as you did. Mind you, my original teacher training of 2 years at Balmain TC got me all of the career I needed!! However, in the 1980s and into the 1990s I did my B.Ed and M.Ed via distance and attended my M.Ed ceremony at Wagga. My daughter graduated M.Ed last year using my mantle (green & pink) and that was very special. Have a wonderful first Christmas as a Grandmother! Denyse #mlstl

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    1. I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it too Denyse. Yes CSU was very good to me and I thoroughly enjoyed my few years studying there and graduation was the best feeling! To say I’m excited about the upcoming Christmas as a grandmother is a bit of an understatement!! I know she’s not up to much this year but from now on it will be extra fun having a baby around to add excitement to the whole holidays. Thanks again for your comments 🙂

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