The Birthday at the Center

When Baba visited the Center in May of 1958, He requested a birthday party. The invitees to the party were children—adults could only come if brought by a child.

In considering how to write an article on Baba’s birthday at the Center, for a few seconds I was disappointed that Baba never celebrated His birthday here. And then it hit me with such force: despite not having spent a February on the Center, in His unwavering thoughtfulness and compassion, Baba used what seemed like a simple whim to give us this immortal example of how to celebrate Him.

Wendy Connor—then Wendy Haynes— was six years old at the time, but she remembers it perfectly. She had met Baba for the first time two days before, and couldn’t believe her luck to be invited to His party. Now she waited, with bated breath, outside the Lagoon Cabin for her new Friend to come out and start the celebration. Finally, the door opened and He emerged, smiling and radiant. She and her siblings had a garland of pink carnations for Baba, and when He saw the flowers His face lit up with surprise and happiness. “What? Are those for me?” He gestured. The children nodded happily and garlanded Baba, then He pulled all three of them into His embrace.

Wendy isn’t sure that Baba ever overtly said He was inviting the children for His own birthday. But she knows it felt like His birthday, from the very beginning. Baba led the crowd to long picnic table that had been laid for Him close to the shelter, between the Caretaker’s Cabin and the Meeting Place. He was shining with happiness. He took His place near the head of the table, and then He smiled, and chatted, and teased, and made the first cut in the huge cake, and ladled out lemonade like the perfect host.

And underneath the ordinary sweetness and trappings of a good party hummed something else. Wendy remembers it: that somehow, despite being one little girl among so many guests, Baba made her feel so totally loved. At one point, she got a chance to show Him a picture someone had just taken of Him. She ran up to Him with such excitement, unable to contain her thrill at sharing this with Baba. And Baba stopped everything. He turned to this little girl and this picture of Himself, and He took it gently like it was the most important thing in the world. He showed it to Adi. Then he showed it to Eruch. He held it up to the light. “How wonderful!” he gestured, beaming. Wendy was thrilled. She went back and got picture after picture to show to Baba. And each time, Baba stopped time for her. He accepted her gift and her love as though they were the most precious things He could imagine. And He gave so much back, that kind of vast love that illuminates everything, that still pours out of even the video of the event and makes us realize that of course, we’re still celebrating His presence.

I can’t pretend to understand all the meaning of that immortal afternoon, but one last piece strikes me as extraordinary. That when Baba first proposed the birthday party and talked with Elizabeth about where it should be held, they decided on that place near the Shelter— the exact spot where thousands of His young lovers over the years have been welcomed and embraced back Home when they first arrive for Youth Sahavas. And just a few feet away from the Meeting Place where, a few nights ago, we came together to continue the celebration, singing Baba happy birthday on February 25th before joining Him for cupcakes and one more helping of His eternal unchanging love.