The moving trucks come tomorrow and we are in the thick of last-minute packing for our move to Missouri, but I couldn’t let this day go by without wishing a very happy birthday to two extra precious people in my life!
Today our adorable first granddaughter turns eight! And my amazing mother-in-law turns… Well, I’ll let her decide whether she wants her age plastered all over the Internet or not! But let’s just say that if Mom lives to be 101 like both her parents did, we have many, many more years to enjoy having her in our lives!
Ken’s mom’s name is Shirley, and though I know it’s going out of fashion for women to call their mothers-in-law “Mom,” that’s what I’ve called her since the day I married Ken Raney. And she is a treasure!
Mom has had a couple of very sad birthdays over the years. Her brother— her only living sibling—died on Mom’s birthday in 1991. And unbelievably, five years later, Ken’s dad, my dear father-in-law, also died on Mom’s birthday!
I know it was hard for Mom to come to terms with those tragic anniversaries, but she says she knew she needed to turn a negative into a positive. And she has. I’ve so admired the way she determined to turn a difficult seeming coincidence into a special way of remembering and celebrating the lives of these two men she dearly loved.
Given the history of Mom’s birthday, you can imagine how absolutely overjoyed we all were when eight years ago our first granddaughter chose to arrive on July 22! Mom made the trip to Iowa with us to meet her birthday twin. They had a special bond from the beginning, and by the time we headed home, Great-Nana had been dubbed “the baby whisperer.”
I’ll never understand the reasons for the timing of these July 22 events, but every year on this date, I’m reminded of the lesson Mom’s attitude has taught me: We can mope and groan and wonder why—or we can say, “Lord, I don’t understand, but help me to allow You to turn this into something good.”
Happy birthday, Mom! Happy birthday, Brynn! Birthday twins. I couldn’t love you more!
Latest posts by Deborah Raney (see all)
- Decade birthdays - May 26, 2025
- Deb’s Favorites - May 25, 2025
- We Shopped at Piggly Wiggly - May 12, 2025
I, too, have a birthday boy born on this day. It is always difficult to have a death on a holiday or significant anniversary like a birthday, but it must have heartened your mother-in-law when a granddaughter came along to take away some of the bitter memories associated with this day. They photos of them together are precious.
I wish you happy moving day tomorrow!
Awww! Happy birthday to your boy, Rebecca!
Great post. Your mother in law is always so happy looking when you post pics of her. She seems like a wonderful person. I hope she has a Jesus filled day.
She is a blessing! We got to spend her birthday with her having coffee and cinnamon rolls. We’ll miss her so much!
Thx for sharing such wonderful birthday blessings. God does arrange, orchestrate phenomenal events in our lives. God bless you in your new location.
Thank you, Pat. Yes, indeed, he does!
Wow! So much “stuff” happening on the same day to your family. July 22 is also my mom’s birthday! She would have been 96 this year but she reached her heavenly home in 2001 at the age of 77. So this is also a day of sadness but also of joy in my family, too. Have a special day today with your family, Deb!
A special day for you, too, Kathy! Hope it brought happy memories of your mom.
Happy Birthdays! It is a special day of remembering. My grandma was born on this day in 1895. I’m thankful I got to know her for 20+ years.
Wow! 1895. Isn’t it amazing that we knew people born before the turn of the LAST century! (My great-grandmother, who I had in my life until I was 14, was born in 1879!)
What a lovely post. We can all use this as an example. The Lord’s blessings to them both on the shared birthday!!
Thank you, Carla!
Happy Birthday 🎂🎁🎈blessings. Best wishes on your move.
Thanks, Lucy. I so appreciate that.
July 22nd is my daughter’s birthday, also. Fortunately, we will get to see her when we travel to California soon.
My mother died on my husband’s birthday, so I understand the mixture of joy and pain. Happy birthday to your special “twins”, and blessings on your move.
Yes, a mixture of joy and pain. A day of remembrance for sure. And happy birthday to your daughter! Glad you’ll get to see her soon.
How fun is that! Today is my birthday as well. I believe it is a very special day indeed. It is an encouragement to hear about making the day happy even though it might have sad memories.
Happy birthday, Susan! How fun!
“We can mope and groan and wonder why—or we can say, “Lord, I don’t understand, but help me to allow You to turn this into something good.””
I love this! It is so very true. I’ve struggled with severe health issues for almost 20 years now. Although sometimes it is very hard, I choose to do the best I can to stay cheerful & positive & happy. Without God, that would not be possible. He has never failed me! Thanks for this post & the reminder to continue to trust the One who does all things well.
What a wonderful testimony, Lori! I’m sure you have encouraged more people than you even realize with your wonderful attitude and strong faith!
Shared family birthdays are so fun. My daughter was born on my mom’s birthday (April 28). They had a very strong bond. Two of my nephews share June 16 as their birthday.
They are! We have lots of May birthdays and anniversaries in our family and always on the same day of the week each year! And two of our grandkids share a February 10 birthday. It IS fun!
Our oldest son was born on our 1st anniversary, September 1st, 1962. My husband’s oldest brother and sister were born 1 year apart way back when (forget the year now).
That’s cool, Sue! And Sept. 1 is our youngest daughter’s birthday, too. 🙂