Not quite the same anymore

One more comment before my birthday passes:

While I enjoy celebrating my birthday very much, am I the only person who also finds a deep sadness in celebrating a birthday after you mother has passed away?

Forty years ago my mom and I began this journey that I am on together, but four years ago, Mom stepped off the path, leaving me to finish my journey alone. 

There was something about having my mother here on my birthday that made it feel like a celebration of our day.

The day we met for the first time.

One of the most important days in both our lives.   

Now it's only my day.  I can celebrate today with friends and family, but I have no one left to celebrate that day forty years ago.

I celebrate that day alone.    

The mother who gave birth to me forty years ago is no longer with me, making today feel a little more empty and a little less worthy of celebration.