Lonely Lady Never Celebrates Occasions until She Hears a Tiny Voice Singing on Her 86th Birthday — Story of the Day

An older woman who had never celebrated any occasion suddenly heard a beautiful, sweet voice singing for her birthday for a surprising reason, and her life would never be the same.

"When is your birthday, Mrs. Corvino?" Timmy asked the older woman who always babysat him when his mother needed it.

Mrs. Corvino had dedicated her entire life to work, and after retirement, she noticed how lonely it had been. Therefore, she volunteered at charities, and all the neighbors knew she was always up for babysitting for a lower price than regular nannies. Having those children around made her feel less alone.

And Timmy's question made her think about life and what she did on special days. Her birthday was not an important day by any means. Other people placed too much weight on the occasions, but Mrs. Corvino never had. Most holidays or special days were of no consequence. On Thanksgiving, she ate grilled cheese and ordered fried chicken for Christmas.

To Mrs. Corvino's shock, another neighbor with her kid showed up.

The 4th of July was spent watching television and trying to drown out the noise of fireworks. On Halloween, she would simply leave a big bucket of candies with a sign not to disturb her. But she only did that to prevent kids from "tricking" her house.

And her birthday was the loneliest day of all. Her parents were not the best people, and she remembered celebrating other people's special days and attending parties. But she never had her own celebration. Never received her own presents, and as the years passed, she stopped caring.

So, she also forgot that her 86th birthday was coming up. "Actually, Timmy. My birthday is in a few days," she responded.

The kid's eyes lit up at her words. "Really? Are you having a party? Can I come? Is it all adults? Will there be balloons?" Timmy asked rapid-fire questions.

"Slow down, kid," Mrs. Corvino laughed. "No, I'm not having any of that. I don't celebrate my birthday ever. That's for kids like you. I'm too old."

"NO! My grandma has a party on her birthday," Timmy protested, frowning.

"Well, that's up to her."

"So, you should have one," the kid insisted.

"Nope," Mrs. Corvino responded and finally had an idea. "How about we get some cookies, kid?"

"Yay!"

That trick always works, especially on five-year-old children like Timmy.

***

Her birthday came, and the day was going as pleasant and uneventful as usual. She had breakfast and hoped that one of the neighbors would need her to babysit soon because she missed the kids. There were very good people in her town in New Jersey, and most of the children on her street were polite, curious, engaging, and delightful.

But since no one had called yet, Mrs. Corvino decided to go out to her back porch and work on her knitting. She heard another neighbor, Mrs. Geller, was pregnant for the third time, and it would be nice to make some baby clothes for her, so she got to work.

She relaxed and forgot about the world as she threaded the needle and yarn in the intricate matter she had learned years ago until a tiny voice started singing. She raised her eyes to discover Timmy walking over to her from his yard with a cake in his hands. The candles were lit, and as he got closer, Mrs. Corvino heard his song more clearly.

"Happy birthday to you…" the kid sang, smiling brightly.

Behind him, Mrs. Corvino saw his mother, Tania, who was grinning in a resigned way. Mrs. Corvino didn't know what to do as they both got nearer, and Timmy finished his song.

"Well? Blow the candles. Wait, make a wish first and then blow out the candles!" the boy insisted.

The older woman shrugged and did as tasked. Both he and his mother clapped and congratulated her. "Happy birthday, Mrs. Corvino!" Tania said, kissing her cheek. "Timmy told me a story about you not celebrating, and he thought we should buy you a cake."

"You shouldn't have. I really don't celebrate," she responded quietly to the younger woman's ear.

"Let's cut the cake!" Timmy demanded.

"Well, only if Mrs. Corvino wants to share," Tania told him, fake scolding him.

"Sure, let's cut it," the older woman conceded, and they went inside to eat the dessert. They were enjoying the chocolate delight when the doorbell rang, and to Mrs. Corvino's shock, another neighbor with her kid showed up. They were holding several platters of finger foods and a present for her.

"Happy birthday, Mrs. Corvino!" they repeated, and the older woman had no idea what was happening. Other parents and their kids from the neighborhood arrived just the same, and soon, she was having a birthday party at her home.

People brought her presents and food. They hugged, kissed, and congratulated her. They also thanked her for her efforts with babysitting. Someone put some music on, and her house was loud, full, and merry for the first time ever.

Mrs. Corvino didn't know how to feel, but she was distracted from hosting everybody. She would later discover that Timmy told his friends about her birthday, and all the kids told their parents there was a potluck party at her house. Luckily, no one cared that they had already cut the birthday cake.

When the evening ended, some of the neighbors helped her clean up, and they left. The older woman sat down on her bed to rest and thought about the day – how insane it had been, how strange it felt to celebrate herself for the time, how happy everyone had been, and how cool it was to have people who cared to come.

Finally, the emotional dam flooded over, and her tears spilled out. She wasn't sure they were entirely happy tears, as she had missed a whole lot of happiness over the years. However, that day that had been special. It was one she would remember for the rest of her life.

Her neighborhood grew close after that party, and Mrs. Corvino started preparing for more occasions. She was invited to Thanksgiving at someone's house and spent Christmas with another neighbor. For the first in her life, she gave out candy herself on Halloween, and she sat outside to enjoy the fireworks on the 4th of July.

Suddenly, there was color. There was something to look forward to every day. Suddenly, she understood why people celebrated and enjoyed all those festivities — doing so made life brighter.

What can we learn from this story?

• Mrs. Corvino was nice enough to babysit, and the neighbors were ready to reciprocate. The neighbors came over for her birthday, contributing to the potluck because they were grateful to her.
• Special occasions should be celebrated. Enjoy your life as much as possible. Enjoy the holidays with your family or loved ones or even alone. But don't let them pass by because you'll remember those memories forever.

Share this story with your friends. It might brighten their day and inspire them.

If you enjoyed this story, you might like this one about a lonely older woman who celebrated her 100th birthday with her first cake ever.

This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone's life. If you would like to share your story, please send it to info@amomama.com.