Happy Birthday!

This morning shortly after 3AM I turned 28 years old. Liesbeth and I had a very romantic breakfast together. While I was in the bathroom, she lit some candles on the dining room table. I went to sit in my chair, only to discover a present there. Inside, I found a handsome new shirt. (Since I am beset by color blindness, I will not hazard a description of said shirt.) I had a nice walk this morning, and then sat down in my office to read my Bible and study some. I'm preaching this Friday evening, so I prepare for service each day. This evening, some of our family will come over to congratulate us (she has her birthday next week, on the 28th) on our long lives, and to eat the cake Liesbeth made last night. The latter reason may take precedence. At lunch today, I asked what happens at Dutch birthday parties. As already indicated, your friends/family come over on your birthday (even if you don't ask them too), and they bring a small present with them. They may sing, but they definitely eat snacks. In fact, there's even one Dutch birthday song to the effect, "Happy birthday to you, we're so happy you had a birthday, though really we just wanted to eat your snacks." (Pardon the loose, unpoetic translation.) The lyrics' practicality more than compensate for their limited sentimentality. But there is also the ubiquitous "Happy birthday to you," to which all ears are accustomed, though to fit the polysyllabic "Gefeliciteerd met je verjaardag" to the tune requires a tongue Peter Piper could be proud of!