Today was the birthday of our dear friend Val Conner,  and two days ago her daughter Katie got the somewhat crazy idea of planning a surprise birthday party for her mom to celebrate.  That’s less than two days to issue invitations, plan logistics, prepare food, etc.  –  but Katie is nothing if not determined, and by george she pulled it off marvelously.  A houseful of friends and relatives were thrilled to come and be a part of it, knowing that this was an important and potentially difficult birthday for Val (her first since her son Daniel was killed earlier this summer.)

Katie and her siblings had thought of everything, including the matter of where people should park so as not to give our presence away when Val and her husband returned from dinner.  The Conners live out in the country, but just beyond the woods at the edge of their backyard is a small neighborhood-  so that’s where all of us parked. . . and then we traipsed through the woods (and we hope not through poison ivy) and on to the Conners’ property and took up our hiding places in the house.   Val’s husband Bob took her out for dinner to a nice restaurant up in Milwaukee, but he pretended to be fighting some kind of stomach bug which necessitated a number of visits to the rest room- during which he would whip out his cell phone and give his kids an update.   When at last they had left the restaurant and were headed back home, we knew that it would be almost exactly fifteen minutes,  so we stayed in front of the TV watching the Packers until it was finally t-minus two minutes to their estimated arrival.   At that point, we crammed ourselves into the kitchen, safely out of sight,  until Val walked in with absolutely no idea whatsoever that there were 25 loved ones there to scream SURPRISE ! ! ! !  So often with surprise parties,  the person in question has at least an inkling that something might be up – – –  but this was one of those completely successful surprises and how delicious to be part of it !    And as fun as it all was,  it was also a tremendously moving experience for Val, to know that her kids love her enough to put together such a nice surprise party. . .  and when she found out how quickly it had been put together, she was even more amazed and delighted.

On a day in late June,  Val and her family – and all of us who love them – were rocked by just about the worst possible surprise that life can deliver.   Tonight was a heartwarming reminder that life sometimes gives us wonderful surprises as well . . .  and thank God for that.

pictured:   the moment when Val the Birthday Girl walked into her kitchen and was greeted with a chorus of “SURPRISE!!!”  from everyone gathered there.