3 Messages of chizzuk on this topic
1) What can we learn from Birthday’s? Why did Hashem invent a day to celebrate a persons birth? There’s nothing wrong or goyish with having a birthday cake or party. The lesson we can learn is, that last year on this day i was 39, today i became 40. A complete year has just gone by. What have i accomplished during this time? Was my time spent wisely? (Wisely does not need to mean Learning & Davening etc.., going shopping & spending family quality time is also considered time spent wisely & actually very important to raise a happy & healthy family) Can I actually face Hashem now & say truthfully that I spent this past year wisely? Maybe we can learn that every minute counts & is so precious & now another full year is gone forever.
2)I don’t know about everyone else here, how often we think about our life, most people make an account of their life once a year-before Yom Kippur- Tzaddikim make an account once a month-before Yom kippur Kotton. I know a person that makes a account of his life almost everyday of his life. He told me this is the final last thing he thinks about almost every night AFTER saying Krias Shma al Hamita he makes an account thinking did i learn today, daven, give tzedaka, help another yid etc… is Hashem going to say to his Malachim i have Charata (pity) i gave this yid an extra day to live. How precious life is. Hashem doesn’t just say this yid will live to 98 this one to 108 & this one to 110, every day & hour is a gift from Hashem, U’vacharta B’chaim-you should choose life-lets learn this now while we are still young.
may Hashem help you appreciate every second of your life & may it never be taken for granted HATZLACHA