When my daughter- in- law, Cindy, asked me if I would want to be the fortune teller at Cameron’s 5th birthday ‘backyard carnival’, I couldn’t say YES fast enough. I already had the outfit, in fact several of them because my style isn’t that far off from a gypsy fortune teller, I guess. I chose the Top 5 fairy cards from my personal stash that I knew would be kid-friendly. I found an unopened bottle of red sprinkles that would be my ‘fairy dust.’ I looked the part, now I was ready for business.
Cindy knows how to do kid’s parties, big time. Being a great pre-school teacher gives her lots of experience. She got the whole family involved in making this Cameron’s BEST birthday EVER! Jordan, Grandson #1, was the Face Painter Extraordinaire. Dylan, Grandson #2, welcomed Cameron’s friends in Clown garb, complete with a rainbow wig and red, shiny nose. Adam was the Ring Leader for ring toss and basketball games and prizes. Poppy was the assist here. Cindy helped kids create colorful Sand Castles in ‘to go’ bottles. And, there I was, rounding out this ‘backyard’ carnival as the in-resident fortune teller: Nana The Great!
My tent was covered in tulle, crystals, and beads. I even had a crystal ball. Flanked by Dylan and Jordan on each side, I started to build my clientele.
Stella was my first customer. She came back at least 4x, each time with another friend. I decided to make Stella my agent. I know she loved the fairy dust. Often, she would pick the same card: Making New Friends. I’d hold her open palm with a red center from all the fairy dust, trying not to get lost in her chocolate brown eyes that were so full of animated expression. I asked who her best friend was: “Emma, my sister, is my best friend for forever…and Lucy, too, but she’s in dog heaven now, but I carry her in my heart every day,” Stella stated absolutely, as she shook her thick brown mane away from her open mouth.
Bailey was more cautious at first. But when she chose the card ‘Happily Ever After’, I won her over for life by telling her, in no uncertain terms, that she would have THE most perfect life, where everything she wished for would come true. Bailey looked down at her palm in mine, her eyelashes looking so long they could have been fake…but they weren’t.
Annie’s innocence and trust in my every word, forced me to be very careful with everything I said to her. She was right there, following my stories as if this was the most precious time she would ever have again. I wanted her to stay this sweet forever.
Zach, Grandson #4, tried not to laugh at my efforts in make believe. He knew his Nana wasn’t really a fortune teller. But, when he picked the ‘Vacation’ card, I got his attention like never before. Because I already knew, I told him his next vacation will be for his birthday, and, there’s a very good chance he’ll be spending it with Mickey Mouse! His little pink lips puffed up in a big ohhhh. He looked at me real close to see if I was really telling the truth. I smiled softly, filled his dirty palm with red sprinkles, sending him over to the Petting Zoo, a motley gathering of all sizes and breeds of teddy bears, snakes, and dinosaurs collected from every brother’s closet. Zach shuffled away, but looked back at me several times to be sure he hadn’t been dreaming.
Natasha was full of questions from the get-go. She wanted to know about every fairy card, and why I had on this funny outfit, and why the red sprinkles??? Her curls bounced whether she was moving or not. I could tell she was a bit bored with my act, so I gave her the double star AND red sprinkles to win her over…it worked.
After two hours, Nana The Great! was exhausted. I considered taking my show on the road for the ‘birthday circuit’, but decided instead to hang up my scarves and necklaces and fairy cards for now. I flash backed on my day, remembering every gorgeous little face I gazed into, every tiny hand I held in mine, with all the precious hopes and dreams of every 5 year old I saw that day. I smiled… and kept smiling for the rest of the day… until I was finally able to lay down my own head to dream my own dreams that night…









