Why do we blow out birthday candles? It strikes me as odd that I’ve never even given it any thought. Every September I huff and I puff and make my wish and then sit back and hope for the best without pausing to consider where this all began.
After looking into it and reading various possible origins and traditions from around the world, I’ve come to one conclusion… we don’t have a clue.
As a kid I actually dreaded the big moment. Mid-party my mother or father would sneak away to grab the cake and then suddenly appear in the doorway holding it proudly and belting ” Happpppyyyy birthhhhdayyyyy to you..” at the top of the lungs waiting for others to inevitably join in. Don’t get me wrong… I LOVE cake, but having the attention of absolutely everyone in the room highlighted just how painfully shy I was. Rather than focus on the people around me, I’d keep my gaze fixated on the beautiful flickering of the candles and wait for the appropriate moment to snuff them out.
Each candle represents more than just another year, they’re little beacons of triumph. We’ve survived yet another year of life in tact, and we’re still surrounded by loved ones who want to celebrate that. As the number of the candles on the cake increases, grin and blow them out proudly. You’ve earned them!
If my father were still alive today, I would be lighting 63 candles on his cake. While I don’t get the chance to do that, I do have the good fortune of having countless memories and reasons to celebrate who he was. I still feel the urge to call him when I need to get across town in a snow storm, remembering how he’d bravely set out in any weather to get me where I needed to be without question. I can’t help but choke slightly on relaying a job well done in school or work, knowing that there’s one more person I really want to tell. So, I’ve learned to adjust. Instead of calling my father for a ride, as I put my key in the ignition I silently pray that he’ll help get me where I need to be… and when I want to tell him something ? I do just that. Even though I don’t hear his response , I know what he’d say and it somehow makes it a little easier…
That being said, happy birthday to a father I love, a father I miss, and a father who still helps get me through every birthday candle.
The Zuf Truth 
well said kiddo….P.S. we blow out the birthday candles…..so we don’t burn down the house!!!!!!!!!!!! xoxo