Happy Birthday to you...

Last Sunday it was Dana & Dawuni's birthdays. They are twin brothers who were turning 18. They are in high school, so they are attending school off campus. I have not gotten to see them much as they only come on school breaks. I went to their house in the afternoon and told them to come and make some cookies at my house for their birthday. Dawuni (the quiet one) was busy writing a sermon that he found out that morning he would be preaching that night. I could tell I caught him off guard, first in knowing that it was his birthday, and second for offering to come make cookies. I told him to find his brother Dana when he was finished and to come on over. After about 30 minutes he just decided to send his brother over to make the cookies. Dana had never made cookies before, and was enjoying learning how. He did a great job making them! He made what I called mountain cookies, they were huge...but tasted great! He told me that he had only received a birthday present one other time in his life, in 2006 and that his brother Dawuni had never received one. I was shocked. 18 years and no one had ever given him anything on his birthday. Dawuni never came, so we took some of the baked ones back to him along with a mineral (coca cola). He was a bit shy to receive it. He was watching a movie with his house, so I left after dropping it off and didn't think much of it. The next day he brought me a letter that I will never forget. He told me that I had broken the curse. He had thought there was some sort of spell on him that he would never receive a birthday gift, or even well wishes on his birthday. He was so surprised I even knew the day of his birthday, and confused why I would show him such kindness. Sometimes simple gestures are the most profound.