Normand's birthday is April 8. In 2007 it happened to fall on Easter Sunday. Normand's family and friends celebrated his 22nd birthday at his bench on the beach. It was brisk and breezy.We wrote personal messages to Normand on balloons. We gathered in a circle and said a prayer. And then the balloons were released into the sky. They got smaller and smaller as they ascended to the clouds, and we sang Happy Birthday.
We then gathered at the Saco Community Center for Lisa's Pizza and fellowship. The warmth was welcome and the friendship was warm. Normand will be 21 years old forever in our hearts.... a young, vibrant, loving man....
In 2008 we celebrated his birthday on April 7 in conjunction with one of his benefit spaghetti dinners. The restaurant was decorated in a birthday party theme. We released 23 balloons in the parking lot before the dinner, served birthday cake and ice cream as dessert for customers, and then friends and family enjoyed a birthday cake after the dinner.
