As an organization dedicated to supporting children and families in crisis, we recognize that holidays can be a delicate and nuanced time for many. In this series, Purposeful Perspectives, we asked our staff members to select a season, month, or day that is meaningful to them to share with our CASA community. Thank you for joining us as we take a deeper look behind the celebrations that fill our lives.
Seen & Celebrated
By Ali Jordan
September is the beginning of my favorite time of year; it’s the beginning of fall, its football season, and it bleeds so seamlessly into the holidays. A co-worker once asked me if my birthday also fell in that time, implying our birthdays inspire our favorite seasons. Not only does my birthday fall in September but so do the birthdays of so many of my family and friends. It’s always been a celebratory month for me and one I’ve always looked forward to.
My mom has always made me a pumpkin pie in lieu of a cake for my birthday and if you’ve ever had my mom’s pumpkin pie, you’d know why I would prefer this to any cake. Not only is it spicy and delicious but it has also become a tradition. Even now, when I have the opportunity to celebrate with my parents who also have September birthdays, my mom still makes me her pumpkin pie.
Though I treasure birthday celebrations with family and friends, in my work with Georgia CASA, I cannot help but think of the children experiencing foster care on their, or their families’, birthdays. Are they missing out on their mom’s special cakes or pies? Did a birthday tradition get lost as they moved from placement to placement? Were they not able to wish their own parents or siblings a happy birthday and how disconnected from their family that must make them feel? I also cannot help but think how experiencing foster care on my birthday could change what once had been my favorite month or season into one I did not want to celebrate or even acknowledge.
Birthdays are a special time, a time to enjoy traditions, be with our loved ones as we celebrate another trip around the sun, and a time to eat another slice of pumpkin pie. Birthdays bring a special kind of joy and reflection. For children and youth experiencing foster care, they can also bring up feelings of uncertainty or loss. But as CASA volunteers, staff, and supporters, we can help make these moments feel meaningful. By simply being there to listen and show love, we have the power to remind children that they are seen, valued, and celebrated—on their birthday and every day.
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