And I couldn't love them more
For a couple of weeks my spidey senses have been on high alert for anomalies in communication and planning about my 50th birthday.
I was sure something fishy was going on but I couldn't quite put all the pieces together though I spent a few sleepless hours trying.
As it turns out I could never have guessed what was really happening.
I was told I was going for a walk at Terra Nova Nature Park and then brunch with 3 girlfriends in the City. I had guessed this was unlikely to be the truth.
It was pouring rain on Saturday morning and a walk in the park seemed a silly idea so I proposed meeting for coffee in the village.
This only prompted more lies and so at 10:30am yesterday I arrived at Terra Nova to walk. Emily and Viv seemed happy to be setting out in the rain - I followed along suspiciously scanning the park for signs of....something.
Just minutes into our walk we "bumped" into Kate also mysteriously out walking in the rain. After some Hello's Emily and Viv promptly said goodbye and walked away leaving a bewildered me with Kate, who was not randomly walking there as it happens, who ushered me over to a wheelbarrow full of plants and together we planted her gift to me as we chatted. That planter was delivered to my front door before I got home! 
I was starting to get the picture when Kate promptly said we needed to continue our walk ...so we did and soon rounded the corner and I saw someone alongside the path up ahead. As we approached Kate said goodbye and I greeted Fil by asking him if he had a license to be fishing in the that ditch. He proceeded to do a one-man one-act play that encompassed all of our best fishing stories/encounters from the past several years - it was magnificent.
He soon had me walking on along the path until we spied a beautiful sculpture just off the path - the gift of Katharina who couldn't be there but left a gift of nature and creativity - amazingly beautiful.
Fil and I walked on in gentle, lovely conversation until I spied a bright umbrella on the bridge ahead under which one Jennifer stood. Fil was gone and Jennifer - my colleague of 19 years offered me the gift of a letter she had written - she read it to me as we walked and cried and laughed - a good summary of our relationship. A letter I'll treasure forever as I treasure her now.
They soon had me walking on and soon I spied that beautiful girl of mine walking towards me. YES! This I had guessed correctly and I was very happy to see her face in spite of her deceptive ways! She had a picnic, with a tablecloth, all ready for me and despite the rain we sat down and had a picnic reminiscent of so many we have had before - and boy was I hungry by then (the promised brunch never having materialised!) so I devoured the cheese and crackers!
As I was munching my parents popped out of nowhere and showered me with beautiful words of love and a poem my Dad wrote and performed. We shared our snacks and visited a while and soon they left. 
Lindsay and I were soon walking on until we came to a clearing where a man stood with a guitar under a tarp strung in the trees. His name was Brian and although we had never met he began to play one of my favourite songs "Landslide" .... and standing there, with my daughter tucked in close beside me, in the gently falling rain... more tears.
We walked on and came to another corner - Lindsay pulled out an iPad and there was a video message from my godson Arlo and his beautiful Mama Juli... so charming and full of good memories.
We walked on and soon Mr Allan Byres emerged from the bushes - he received a swift smack for his stellar performance of an ignorant and uniformed bystander when he was, in fact, fully apprised of the whole plan!! He read me a lovely and loving message from our son who is too far away to be here. And then he revealed his gift to me of something off my bucket list I can hardly believe. You'll be along for this ride on my actual birthday next Saturday - I'm SO SO excited.
We then walked on and arrived at the Red Barn to all the gathered players now warm and dry and a beautifully decorated room and table and a feast of indian food made by our friend Nav. My beloved friend Emily had every detail covered and was the creative mastermind of it all. She created this gift for me that is beyond words and my gratitude is deep and wide.
We had lunch together - we talked, we laughed, we dissected the lies, talked about the plans and finally had a cake with thankfully less than 50 candles.
It was THE BEST morning - it was so well planned and so beautifully executed - my heart was over flowing. It's easy to show up at a party or a dinner but none of this was easy and the thought, effort, intention and love that went into every detail is utterly humbling.
I was well loved, so well loved.
I am so incredibly lucky.
All the lies are forgiven.
xoxoxo
PS: Still not actually 50 - T-minus 6 days
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