“It’s my birthday soon.”
For some, that thought might bring happiness and excitement.
For others — dread.
For me, it brings sadness and loss.
Celebrating my birthday used to be the one thing I fought for — for myself.
It was more than just a celebration of birth.
It was a sacred ritual.
A change of scenery. A chance to breathe.
A day to do something that brought me joy.
But like many things in life, the energy it took to fight — again and again —
and the tiny cracks formed by unmet hopes
eventually wore me down.
We stopped celebrating the way I wanted.
And my birthday became just another day.
And I survived.
For years.
But this year… I woke up.
And when the thought came —
“It’s my birthday soon.”
I decided:
I would celebrate it my way.
Not how I used to.
But in a way that honours who I am now.
So I asked myself — how?
For the first time in years, I don’t have to work on my birthday.
So I thought — why not make a whole day of it?
And as I began to plan, I thought of all the other people in the world
for whom birthdays are difficult.
People who maybe want to celebrate, but don’t know how.
For whom birthdays have become about surviving — or just cake.
But who want more.
I thought of those who want to honour their day
in a gentle, meaningful way.
Of those who want to remember.
To plan. To be intentional.
And so, I made a book.
It’s not a party planner.
It’s a soft space.
A ritual.
A gentle celebration of surviving, of being.
A tool for holding space.
It honours all that I’ve lived through to stand here.
It honours who I am today.
And it looks — with hope — toward who I might yet become.
It looks at the growth, the struggle, the pain and says:
“I see you.”
Maybe in a whisper.
Maybe in a shout.
Maybe alone, in the quiet of my heart.
Maybe among my people.
Either way —
everyone deserves to celebrate in a way that honours them.
That’s why I created space for quiet reflection.
For joyful creation.
For comfort and nurturing.
And a structure that lets me choose.
To design my day in a way that feels right.
And for the first time in years,
I feel excited to celebrate the day of my birth.
With love.
With intention.
In a way that finally,
holds space for me.
So what’s inside the pack?
It’s not a list of party games or decorations.
It’s a collection of printable pages designed to guide you through a full day of gentle self-celebration — or to be used slowly across a week, a month, or whenever you need a reminder that your life is worth honouring.
Some pages are quiet.
Some are playful.
Some are reflective.
Some might stir emotions.
And all of them are built to hold space for you — your feelings, your energy, your rhythms.
There are spaces to:
- Reflect on the past year — the good, the hard, the quietly powerful moments
- Honour who you are right now, and how you’ve changed
- Design a celebration that fits your energy (blanket fort optional, but encouraged)
- Create your own birthday soundtrack and comfort rituals
- Write a letter to yourself
- Choose joy in whatever form it takes — drawing, walking, cake, silence, sparkle
- And even gently dream about the year ahead
There’s no right way to use this book.
You don’t have to fill every page.
You don’t have to finish it all in one day.
You don’t even have to feel excited to begin.
You just have to show up.
Softly. Gently. Honestly.
Because your birthday — and your life — are worth marking in a way that feels true to you.
And if you don’t know how to begin?
That’s okay too.
I made this so we could begin together.
You can find it on Etsy here.
Ash & Ember Rising 