Happy Birthday with Hershey Bars

On my dad’s October 8th birthday each year, I buy 100 Hershey bars and just hand them out randomly to whomever crosses my path that day. The first one always goes to the sales clerk wherever I happen to buy them, and then I move on: the post office, a department store, gas station, the restaurant where I buy lunch, the pharmacy while filling prescriptions. In the early days, I put one in each of my colleagues’ mailboxes at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and that tradition has followed me in workplaces I have occupied since then.

 

In telling the story of why I am sharing chocolate – my dad’s favorite: pure milk, no nuts – I have made friends with a postal clerk whose late mother died on my dad’s birthday and a saleswoman at Saks who came around the counter to give me a tearful hug. One waitress at lunch asked for a second one to take home to her mother as a token of her own appreciation. I’ve shared them with tennis teams, slipped them in neighbors’ mailboxes and handed them out while hiking the Inca Trail in Peru.

 

Even people who don’t like chocolate (yes, there are a few out there) graciously take the Hershey bar to share with someone they know who needs it – as an emotional boost and to remind them there can be a happy, upbeat way to keep a loved one’s personality paying it forward in a way that is not morbid or maudlin.

 

The first year I did this, I couldn’t articulate what I was doing without dissolving into raw tears. But now, well over a decade later, I love to tell the story, his story, behind the Hershey bars. I find it’s a cheerful way to keep George Soper’s memory alive, and I have connected with old friends and total strangers in new and unpredictable ways as they share their stories and losses with me. It often gives others a reason to pause and remember someone they’ve loved and lost, too.

 

People seem eager to find ways celebrate someone who’s not here except in spirit, and there are many creative ways to go about it. It doesn’t take away the sadness but it does keep their personality and sense of fun – or devotion – alive. Maybe you just need a little nudge. What did that person love to do or eat – or listen to or visit? On my mother’s birthday, we have her favorite – a Maine lobster – but it’s a private event. You’ve likely seen golf events or 5Ks held in someone’s memory, maybe even a fundraiser, coffee mugs, T-shirts or rear windshields. Here’s one I recently spotted:

Ernest J. Maddox

July 12, 1946-Jan. 8, 2007

 

I don’t know who he was or how he died, but the tribute got my attention as I was stuck in Atlanta traffic, and I won’t forget that name.

 

We all tend to remember dates of death and, annually, the sorrow resurfaces, but surely everyone who dies leaves a favorite something that can be turned into a ritual remembrance with a smile.

 

This year, on October 8 (my dad was born in 1922) I was in Charlotte, N.C. with my brother, Mike, and sister, Wendy, for our annual weekend away – from homes, spouses and children. We took particular pleasure in sharing Hersheys with Steve, our waiter at Rooster’s – in fact, with the manager and the crew cooking in plain view, too. At the grocery store checkout, a young clerk named Duncan seemed unusually touched by the candy. “Thanks for sharing this with me,” he said when I told him about the birthday tradition. “You’ve made my day.”

 

Do you have a favorite way to keep a memory alive? Let me hear from you!

 

***

Susan Soper is the founder and author of ObitKit™, A Guide to Celebrating Your Life. A lifelong journalist, she was formerly the Features Editor at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where she launched a series called "Living with Grief" shortly after her father died. Susan lives in Atlanta with her husband.

Views: 2190

Comment

You need to be a member of LegacyConnect to add comments!

Join LegacyConnect

Comment by Rosa on January 4, 2011 at 7:40pm
I celebrate my mom's life as if were today. She passed away on January 30, 1987 at age 73 it was like my whole life went with her. (Cindy and Jose grandchildren) remember her smile and jokes laughin but with tears. Everyone that knew her loved her. God save her soul.
Comment by margaret renee french on November 30, 2010 at 6:03pm
My Mother passed away 12/1/2009 and Christmas was her favorite time of year. This was written by my sister and dedicated to our Mother.

There once was a woman named Maggie who loved Christmas.
Infectious excitement and heart overflowing;
no detail left to chance.
She made her list and checked it twice;
even including the naughty among the nice.
Not even the lonely stranger left to despair;
everyone she knew made it there.
Each present bought and hidden away for the day,
never a greater mission she would say.
She wrapped each present with loving hands;
ribbons, bows and colorful bands.
Her home, warm and inviting, decked with holiday fair.
Oh, to see such a sight, you knew Christmas was there.
The tree so carefully dressed in beautiful array;
could not leave if only to stay.
Cooking and baking with no time to spare.
A holiday spread fit for every kid, she laid out with care.
On the eve of Christmas, as only Santa’s Elf would,
she made her visits imparting Christmas cheer as only she could.
For only too few Christmases we were blessed;
given this fine example she left to us rest.
Yes, Maggie knew the magic of Christmas intimately and passionately, and the spirit of Christmas spread.
No other Christmas will ever be the same without Maggie’s imprint of this love that brought her fame.
Comment by Charlene bBker on November 26, 2010 at 2:40pm
My Mother just passed last month from Ovarian cancer. I have been trying to think of ways to remember her for her and not just the sads three weeks before her death. This is such a sweet idea and inspires me to think of ways to keep her spirit alive among us.

Latest Conversations

Dastan posted a blog post
Saturday
Dastan posted a blog post
Friday
Dastan is now friends with Amber Jacobs and Jared Cunningham
Nov 30
Dastan updated their profile
Nov 30

Community Guidelines

Please be respectful of others. For more information, read our Community Guidelines.

Follow Legacy

© 2023   Created by Legacy.com.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service