from ACJ Advisory Board Member Frances Kai-Hwa Wang at AnnArbor.com:
I had nearly forgotten, until I received the Facebook post from my good friend James wishing me a happy birthday. James and I share the same birthday, so I immediately wished him a happy birthday, too, and then sent birthday wishes to my childhood friend, Hsiao Ma, who also shares the same birthday with me, but not before she beat me to it. Theirs are the only birthdays I ever remember.
Growing up, birthdays were not a big deal, and usually consisted of small family gatherings with my family and Hsiao Ma’s family. The only other guest we ever invited was George and his family. A little dinner, a little cake, nothing fancy. Hsiao Ma, George, and I were a trio in those days, the only Chinese kids I knew other than my three older cousins.
I was surprised the first time I heard of someone taking the entire day off work and school because it was her birthday. It was her special day, so she was going to dedicate that day entirely to pampering herself. She felt she deserved it. I could not fathom that either birthdays or pampering could be so important.
click on link for more:Taking the time to celebrate birthdays, African American History Month and other special times
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