To my family:
I like to think I don’t ask for much. Just that all of you are happy and healthy.
When special occasions come around, I’m not particularly concerned about getting gifts or anything like that; I’m content that you all are doing well and I’m very grateful for what we all have. I know we are all busy and we all have a million and one things to do and remember each day - myself included.
But sometimes I get that selfish little hankering to have my existence acknowledged. Just a phone call, maybe an e-mail or even a card in the mail. You know, just to have someone I care about tell me they care about me, too, and that they hope I have a good day on my birthday.
To my three young Silverjuniors; you are all much too young to be able to remember Mom’s birthday. When you grow up I hope that you will not spend money on gifts for me. I just want to hear from you and see you often when you’re grown up and are out living your own lives. I hope that I will have cultivated the relationship with each one of you so that you will want to see me often and that you’ll know that I’d prefer your company over a gift any day.
But it would have been nice if your father had remembered my birthday and maybe had the three of you draw some adorable crayon pictures that I could have treasured for years to come.
The day came and went, and it was business as usual. I left for work in the morning and it was the usual rush; I spent the day working, came home that evening and set about doing the Things Moms Do When They Get Home From Work. Mr. Silver1, you were doing other things when I arrived home but you caught on shortly that not all was right with the world.
I mentioned that I hadn’t expected anything elaborate, but that maybe just a “Hey, I hope you have a nice birthday” from someone, anyone in my family would have made the day a nice one. I know my former co-workers would have remembered and we would probably have had a nice lunch together, but since I recently moved to another position I’m unfortunately not working with those same nice people anymore.
But no one remembered, and it was a day just like any other. It wasn’t a “milestone” birthday or anything like that. Just a regular birthday that would have been nice had anyone in my family remembered it.
I felt an inexplicable sadness yesterday. With all that is going on in the world I should be damned thankful for what I have and not complain about something as ridiculous as this. Because it sounds ridiculous to me when I consider that there are millions of people who are really suffering around the world. This family is happy, healthy and doing well, and I should be grateful for that and not worry about the small stuff.
But I felt sad, and I still do.
I didn’t want gifts. I didn’t expect flowers, balloons, music, money, or cake and ice cream. I just wanted one of you, any of you to tell me that you hoped I had a nice birthday and that you cared.
I’ll forget about this soon and eventually it’ll just filter out of my mind with each passing day and as the craziness of our respective routines takes over. But there will still be a little spot of hurt in my heart that I didn’t register on my family’s radar and that no one in my family could give me a couple of minutes of their time on that day.
Dolores, thank you so much for the serenade. 
)