Birthdays week in our aiga/family...

Celebrating my dad's 82nd birthday with our close aiga (family)

 As well as celebrating Samoan language week, this week with our friends and family, it's also birthday week with my dad, my mum and my beloved all having birthdays within a 7 day period.

It's definitely a blessing and our children like it with all the preparation, planning and fanfare that we celebrate and we get to share as a family.

One life lesson that I learnt from my parents in growing up was that we celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, passing exams etc. as a way of honouring God and honouring the person who's special day it was.

So much so, that my family still continues with this celebration that has taken us overseas for our weddings, family trips for celebrating birthdays, family reunions etc. and it's also a time of creating amazing memories and instilling hope and love for the future.

Although I know that with some religions and within families, birthdays and other such rituals aren't celebrated, I've found that it's becoming increasingly important for us to share in celebrating important occasions so that individuals feel loved and cared for, honoured, respected and supported especially in the need to feel valued in our society that often overlooks people of difference.

So to three of the most special people in my life (apart from my children) I honour you and thank God for gifting me with you as the three most important people who have blessed me, taught me so much about life and who I hope and pray continue to blessed in your lives. Ia manuia lo tou aso fanau (happy birthdays to you)...