I am 24 today.

And usually, my birthdays are my saddest days.

Maybe it is because of how much pressure I put on myself,

And that, I am not even close to all I want to be and have.

But no matter the pep talk,

I still find myself in that place.

But today seems different.

And chief among that is because,

I have you.

I feel so listened to,

Knowing how much you care about me,

And that you read my love notes everyday.

Thank you.

I plan to retire in 5 years,

And in Nigeria,

With all these inconsistencies,

You should know what that means.

But it will happen anyway.

You see,

Every birthday brings fresh tears

But this one,

I am just amazed.

Amazed that I even made it this far

Made it at all.

One of the most special person to me,

Went to be with Jesus last year.

This is my first adult birthday,

I will be spending without him.

But I am still living,

And I am dedicating today to him.

I will read his birthday messages to me

From previous chats,

And just feel close to him.

And for you,

I wrote a blog post,

I think you would like very much.

I will share the link with you much later.

Finally,

Do something you love

For yourself and no one else

Celebrate my birthday,

Like it is yours.

Take a glass of wine,

And say, “cheers to Grace, and myself”

It is our birthday.

It would make me feel so close to you

And vice versa.

Do this;

For us.

Grace Christos.