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It was one of those weekends that I didn’t want to see end. My granddaughter Adeline celebrated her ninth birthday with a Party Animals celebration. The event began with an appearance by Pickle, one of the alligator hunters on the show Swamp People.

Adeline became a fan of Pickle and the show when she started watching it just a few weeks ago with my husband. When Adeline discovered that her Aunt Monique had interviewed Pickle for the Louisiana Sportsman magazine, it set Adeline’s mom in motion until she had booked Pickle for the party.

 Just as the questions and photos with Pickle ended, a trailer filled with animals arrived. My front lawn soon became a Petting Zoo. While half of the children and even some adults played with chickens, bunnies, piglets, and even a kangaroo, others rode the horse.

The next day was a quieter, calmer celebration of my birthday and Mother’s Day with more crawfish and cake than my family could eat.

 As the sun set on the day, and our weekend, my six-year-old granddaughter Charlie hugged my neck and whispered, “Happy Birthday, Happy Mother’s Day, and Happy Every Day!”

Charlie either meant this to cover the bases so her mom wouldn’t send her back to tell me something else, or it was an expression of gratitude for each and every day. I’m going with the latter and approaching today (even though as I write this it’s raining, and my area is under a tornado warning) with anticipation of a great celebration. It’s a day I’ve never lived before and I choose to fill it with meaningful activity and an abundance of gratitude.

 “This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it,” Psalm 118:24

Happy Every Day!

Ronny can be reached at rmichel@rtconline.com.