Today my family and I threw Dad a surprise 60th party. We had 18-20 people, mostly Dad's closest friends. I cooked, cleaned, invited guests, prepared the house, bought all the decorations, organized all the details.. but my cousins were the real heros. One bhai (cousin)took me to Sam's Club before work. One cousin helped us change Wasim's flight, and ordered all the food. My husband paid for things, picked up the cake, and helped me plan the guest list. Mom cut mangos and tied the balloons for decorations. My cousins set up the dishes, and organized all the platters. I was the "architect." I woke up at 8AM after working until 2AM cleaning the house, cooking my rice pudding which took an hour, vacuuming, and confirming with the guests. I woke up to find a wonderful waffle cooked and waiting for me. I ate it happily, knowing Dad probably made waffles, got dressed and headed to Pathmark to buy groceries. I came back home at 10, showered, and got ready for the party. ...
I began writing as an outlet for narcissism but found that blogging was more about the people in my world than about me. I am at my core a writer and educator with interests in community- building, social justice, markets, philanthropy, and academia. I am forging a path with your Dad, who I got to know mostly through the comments section of this blog. This is my story, and I'm happy to share it with you, my daughter.