Happy Birthday to you!

Today is Hassan's birthday. April 4th is a great time of year to be born - actually any time of year is great time of year to be born.

My favorite of Hassan's birthdays was the the one we spent in 2002 at the Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, DC. I distinctly remember it because Hassan, Mira and I went to the Tidal Basin in DC and rented a paddle boat and just paddled our way out into the water of the Potomac -- don't worry it wasn't too far. We enjoyed the spectactular views of the cherry blossoms against the backdrop of the Washington Monument and Jefferson Memorial. It was so picturesque that I have never seen a postcard as beautiful as that day. It was a beautiful sunny spring day with a few white puffy clouds in the sky. The sky was an awesome shade of blue.

Not only is it the time of year for the cherry blossoms in DC, but it is also the time of year where pansies have outlasted winter and the daffodils are blooming in clusters, if one planted them properly in the autumn.

I have learned to grow plants and flowers at which I succeed, and perhaps that is the way I ought to look at life -- dwell on the successes in life no matter how small, and learn from the challenges that face me from time to time.

Ma'salaam,

Marian