Wishing I had cake today...

When I was a growing up, May was hands down my favorite month of the year.

My Mom and Dad did a beautiful job of celebrating birthdays and I was blessed to be born almost exactly a week before my Daddy's birthday. We would have cake for the entire second half of the month. And because my sweet Daddy had a tremendous sweet tooth and because each of his three kids inherited the same -- we loved (and I mean this in all caps -- LOVED) birthday cake.

Today, is my my Daddy's birthday. And the 18th one, we have had to celebrate without him.

It is never ok. I miss him like crazy. I need to sit and sneak birthday cake with him tonight and celebrate the life of the man who made me who I am. Oh. I miss him.

Talley, Len and our Dad at Opryland, circa 1992.

Slicing into a store-bought (Oh, my Mama is a great cook but birthday cake had to be from a bakery with thick, rich, frosting....and um, yeah, it still does have to be that!) cake and adding a couple scoops of ice cream never fails to bring back a flood of sweet memories. Oh, Daddy liked his ice cream softened a bit -- and if it was too hard he was known to put it in the microwave and soften himself -- but then we would sit around the table and enjoy every single bite punctuating with corny jokes and stories about pranks this wonderful man had pulled on people in the days preceding. Oh, it was joy.

Pure joy.

My wedding day. 1991.

Here's the thing -- while I'm sure they serve birthday cake in heaven (And my Dad is enjoying a heaping slice today!), we aren't guaranteed even one more birthday here on earth. We just do not know. So don't waste a minute. Slice up a big ole piece of overly-frosted, brightly colored cake and celebrate each sweet bite with the ones you love.

You will be blessed. I promise!

Happy Birthday, Daddy. I love you so!