.097 day 82

when i was three years old, i received a gift that would last a lifetime. my twinkin. son of my aunt, my mother's sister, who died when he was just a baby. through fate, he ended up in my mother's care, and my cousin became my brother and as we grew, the closet of twinkins. shared birthdays, shared cakes, shared parties where family came together with gifts and love to wish 'the twins' wellness for their next year ahead. 

til' this day, it is our day. a special bond. inexplicable to foreigners, we share a entire history of births celebrated. we fight. sometimes viciously so. but, we love. hard enough to overshadow. living in separate states now, less birthdays are spent together. calling each other to wish mutual birthday blessings and changing profile pictures to matching tributes, meaning just as much. but this year he is home. 

ten months ago, i lost my father. last may, i nearly lost myself. so while nothing that we "planned" turned out the way we hoped, his presence was, both, needed and loved more than ever this year..."if you wanna make god laugh, make plans".   

my father bought this coat for my mother on a rare family outing. 

he took us thrifting at this uber funky vintage spot in west philly. 

khary, twinkin's best-friend, is also becoming a staple in our birthday shenanigans. 

the only thing i wanted (more than a full day mommy duty-free, which didn't happen)

was to get the poem my father wrote for me, on me, eternally. 

i chose french because it's the language i'm learning and the language i love.

"awww, come ooon, twins, just one toast before you go"