I’ve been thinking about birthdays recently and how sometimes we don’t realise how special each one is.

I guess as you get older the excitement wears off, I mean who really wants to be old.

But I believe that we look at it the wrong way.

A birthday marks the passing of another year that you were blessed to be here.

Now I don’t wish to sound maudlin or miserable far from it, I want us to realise the celebration of life.

When my children were younger every birthday had a party, we celebrated with family and friends. It was a celebration a real time to rejoice, but as we all get older its becomes less so.

I think often of Livvy and the fact that we only had 9 birthdays to celebrate with her. I give thanks that we celebrated each one in style.

But it shouldn’t take the fear of loss to make us celebrate each other. Each year we get to spend together is special, it is a gift and should be rightly appreciated as such.

Birthdays are times to let the people you love and cherish know how much you value them.

So be it a 21st or a 42nd let’s celebrate the gift of a year and the blessing of having each other in our lives.