11:38 a.m.

I have had so much happen over the last year.  I can't even remember where I was or what I was doing on my birthday last year.  One thing I do know is that 11:38 a.m., my dad wished me a happy birthday.  This was a little secret between the two of us that no one else knew.  Every year at 11:38, the exact time I was born, I would receive a birthday wish from my dad.  Some years, like last year, it was simply a note saying "Happy Birthday!"  Usually he'd tell me how much he loved me and how proud he was of me.  I think he may have been in the hospital because it was a slip of paper last year in an envelope that said, "Open at 11:38 a.m. on Sept. 18."   Some years he did something zany (well zany for my dad) and he'd surprise me with balloons in my college music theory class.  Some years we just met for lunch.  Some years I'd get a phone call.  Some years, I'd get an email.

I don't think my mom even knew he did this.  This was our special secret.  For the first time in 41 years, I will not have my daddy wishing me happy birthday at 11:38 a.m.

So at 11:38 a.m. I will be thinking of him and thanking him for giving me the best birthday gift a girl could have...  A dad that made her feel like his little princess.