Happy Birthday, Andrea! 9/1/12

My sister Andrea would've turned 36 years-old last Saturday. My sister and I always made dinner plans for her birthday. But, the past 2 years we've celebrated her birthday in the cemetery. I don't want this to sound morbid because it wasn't. Alexa refers to Andrea's grave site as "Mommy's special place." And we do our best to make it special. So... a parade of McGinleys, young and old, walk across the street every year from my dad's home to the "special place" to wish Andrea a happy birthday. This year, we brought flameless candles and a big Happy Birthday balloon. Before we had the chance to sing to Andrea, the big balloon came loose from its string and floated up towards the sky. Alexa started jumping up and down with excitement. My 6 year-old son started cheering... "the balloon is going up to Aunt Andrea!!! It's going up to heaven!!!" As the sun broke through the murky sky, we all watched the balloon dissolve into the clouds. We sang to Andrea, then made our way back to dad's for dinner. As we walked down the path, a single yellow butterfly passed us. Maybe on her way to see the gifts we left behind. The candles still glow at Andrea's "special place." A beautiful sight in the evening. A beautiful way to celebrate a beautiful woman.

                                                            Andrea's Birthday 2010

After dinner, I met with some of Andrea's closest friends to celebrate with them. We met at an Italian restaurant this year. The first time the group of us celebrated Andrea's birthday together, she had just returned home from the hospital. It was August of 2010. We met at Andrea's house and ordered take-out from her favorite vegetarian restaurant. She was tired, but talked all night about her 2 week nightmare in the hospital. Of course Andrea's stories don't come without a heavy helping of her sarcastic humor. She could find humor in any situation, even the worst situations. That's how she coped. That's how all of us coped. Now back to dinner last week. All the girls were sitting, chatting, catching up on things. We watched as a waiter brought a birthday desert to a girl sitting at the table beside us. We politely listened as the group sang happy birthday to the girl... "Happy birthday dear ANDREA..." We all looked at each other and my cousin said... "did they just say... Andrea??" Yes, they did. What an amazing sign!!! Our eyes welled up at the thought. What are the chances?? We felt like she was there with us. What a good night. What a great way to end the day!

                                                            Andrea's Birthday Dinner 2011

August has come to an end and we now focus on the anniversary. We lost Andrea to pancreatic cancer on September 26, 2010. Last year, we celebrated Andrea with a butterfly release preceded by a mass in her honor. I'm not sure what we're going to do this year. In fact, I'm looking for feedback on this. The big question is... "What should we do?" I want to do more. I want to honor Andrea's memory by helping others. I know I'm not alone in this. So, on the grander scheme of things... how can we truly honor Andrea? I don't have the answer just yet, but that is my goal.  That is how we can truly honor Andrea's life.

Below are links to a few organizations doing great things. All of the organizations are inspired by loved ones lost. Please take a moment to look and ask yourself... "What can we do?"

Joan's Monarch Wishes

Careys Against Cancer

Kisses for Kyle

Alex's Lemonade Stand