Happy Birthday, Mom!

The Morning Show is a blog companion to the Podcast Audio

(Note - this show aired YESTERDAY - I didn't forget my mom's birthday!)

Good morning, and welcome to The Morning Show!

  I'd like to wish my mom a very happy birthday today!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!  Got my party hat on...seriously!  Check out Instagram @JoshUrban to see a video of this show.
Now, some people know how to party, but my mother has the distinction of knowing how to celebrate.  Her birthday, our birthdays, other people's birthdays, life events, small victories, major accomplishments...And in doing that, in choosing to make a festive big deal out of things we could easily overlook, she consistently chooses to summon the magic of the occasion.

  It's so easy to stop doing that as the years go by.  Life can be gray, and we compound the dreariness with little choices.  Mom's celebration isn't because the lack of hardship, or the ease of the occasion, often quite to the contrary.  Sharing joy doesn't have to wait till the sun comes out - indeed, it often precedes it, and coaxes the rays to break through the clouds.

  Happy Birthday, Mom!  Toasting you today, and looking forward to celebrating with you!