Fighting For a World With More Birthdays: SPONSORED VIDEO

Source: n-ewyorker.tumblr.com

This time of year is known as "summer" to most. In our house, it's also known as "birthday season." Starting with E's, which kicks off Memorial Day every year, we have a whole long whirlwind of birthdays to celebrate: Grandpa, Grandma, J, and more friends than we can even count (most of them E's.) We average 3-4 four parties per weekend from now to long past Labor Day.

There was a time when I'd roll my eyes at the calendar when birthday season commenced. I'd grimace sheepishly at the UPS guy when he delivered my umpteenth box of Melissa & Doug items (courtesy Amazon prime, of course.) 

Then, this year, E turned four...and one of the most important people in her life wasn't here to celebrate with us. As many of you know, my mother-in-law lost her fight with metastatic melanoma this past March. We miss her every day. E's birthday this year was bittersweet as we celebrated another incredible year of her existence, while still mourning for a life that exists no longer.

Birthdays don't feel silly anymore, or extravagant, or worthy of eye-rolling no matter how many ball pits/balloon animals/slices of pizza we might have to endure in order to honor each and every one. Birthdays are blessings. Birthdays shared with loved ones are gifts to be treasured. All those slices of cake add up to a lot more than sugar overload and candlelit wishes. Birthdays mean life. I am so very grateful for every one we get to celebrate as a family, and with our incredible friends.

And when I blow out the candles on my cake this year? I think I might just wish for more birthdays.

I'm honored to be working with the American Cancer Society to bring you this sponsored video. The ACS was (and continues to be) a great source of comfort and resources during Laurie's battle with cancer. We  are deeply committed to honoring her memory by working with them to make this impossible journey easier and better for other families who are fighting the same fight. 

Here's to a world with less cancer and more birthdays. 

And to celebrating those birthdays, each and every one,  like the miracles they are.

This post is sponsored by the American Cancer Society. My compensation for writing this post is being donated directly back to the ACS in honor of my mother-in-law, Laurie.