Speaking of Birthdays...

http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/view_photog.php?photogid=2280

Somebody's birthday is coming. 

Although it is my job to encourage her to choose happiness everyday, this also includes her birthdays.

Speaking of birthdays...

Most of us know that a birthday is the time to celebrate the month and day when someone is born.  Lots of happy children (and the young at heart) love to broadcast when the day of their birthday is.  The opposite would be silent and hope that no one remembers. 

Respectfully speaking, this would be different with people of different beliefs.  Some people observe customs and traditions that do not celebrate birthdays.  If unsure of how your friend will feel, it helps to ask the would-be celebrant likes celebrating birthdays-- most especially his or her own.

I rejoice with Schroeder the piano kid (from the Peanuts cartoon) who makes written announcement signs such as "Only 10 more days till Beethoven's birthday".  When a crabby girl like Lucy van Pelt painfully asked, "Who cares?", a life saver like Snoopy the dog produced a written announcement sign, "We do!"

Here are some little-known trivia on birthdays, the year, and the leap year:

1) Did you know that birthday parties originated from the idea that evil spirits visit the celebrant on his/her birthday,  that people would gather to protect the celebrant with the good wishes they bring?
http://www.giveagift.net/ArticleDetail.aspx?Article=Find_the_history_of_giving_birthday_presents_and_get_gift_ideas.html&TotLen=1200px

2) Did you know that birthday cakes started in Rome, while birthday candles on the cake started in Germany?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birthday_cake

3) Did you know that birthday gifts began as good wishes or symbolic tools to ward off evil spirits?
http://www.giveagift.net/ArticleDetail.aspx?Article=Find_the_history_of_giving_birthday_presents_and_get_gift_ideas.html&TotLen=1200px

4) Did you know that the "Happy Birthday to You" song came from the melody of the "Good Morning to All" song?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happy_Birthday_to_You

5) Did you know that it is Chinese tradition to celebrate birthdays every first day of Chinese New Year-- regardless of which month one was born?
http://chineseculture.about.com/library/weekly/aa021901b.htm

6) Did you know that a year of 365 days was based on the Earth's revolution around the Sun?
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Why_is_a_year_about_365_days_long
http://www.answers.com/topic/why-are-there-365-days-in-a-year
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year

7) Did you know that the 29th of February happens every four years, has something to do with having the Earth revolving around the Sun in 365.25 days (or 365 and 1/4 days) a year?
http://www.answers.com/topic/why-do-we-have-leap-years
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leap_year

Now, back to the birthday girl I was talking about... If I meet this wonderful birthday celebrant face to face, I would give her a hug. 

Happy birthday, Birthday Beagle!  I care.

:-( -> :-| -> :-)
DL
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"If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day, so I never have to live without you."

--A.A. Milne
Winnie the Pooh