Christopher's 22nd Birthday

My brother turns 22 today and he is not here to celebrate. There are many people celebrating their birthdays today all over the world, but Christopher is celebrating in a better place. Balloons, cakes, gifts: none of these things can compare to what he is experiencing without his family and friends. My mom has been on the defense for a couple of weeks, and I do not know what to say to her. I will never feel what she feels on this day, but I try to be as positive as possible. He never really liked birthday cake, he rarely ate his own cake. This day last year he celebrated his 21st birthday at TGIFriday's with my parents and a couple of friends. I was not there (I had planned to come that Saturday), and now I imagine how happy he was that night. My parents told me he ordered his first drink (LIT) and had to stand on a chair while the servers sang, "Happy Birthday." He celebrated later that night with friends, my dad said, "It was a good day for him." I would never have thought he would be gone three days later, and never hear "Happy Birthday" again. Today, I say "Happy Birthday" to my brother who I miss everyday, but believe is in Heaven smiling down on us each day.