** As always, my posts are wordy. Sorry. If you just want to see the challenge I am issuing to YOU - scroll down and look for the next set of asterisks. **
Here it is the week of my last birthday in my 30’s. As is every birthday, it causes me to reflect on where I am, where I've been, and where I want to be.
I have decided that I am going to show the depression monster that would normally show up at a time like this that I, indeed, am stronger than it is through Christ which strengthens me.
I could focus on the fact that we always seem to be short on money, but instead, I choose to focus on the fact that we always seem to have enough to cover our needs. We may not get paid a lot at any of our jobs, but we have 3 jobs between the two of us when there are those out there that do not know if they will have a job tomorrow. Our girls have learned to differentiate between needs and wants through us having to really think through our purchases.
I could focus on the fact that our girls’ school and gymnastics tuition is a stretch to cover. I choose to focus on the fact that we are blessed enough that I am able to work at both the school and the gym to help offset those bills. This also allows me an insight to my daughters’ lives that most parents don’t have the privilege of seeing. I get to see my daughters at any time of the day if I need to. I see their friends and know their teachers and coaches.
I could lament the fact that we do not have much family time together due to our gym schedule. However, I choose to see that my family is strong enough to survive the hectic schedule that we have. I rejoice in the fact that both of my daughters love the same sport and that we don’t have different sports for different seasons. Our schedule stays the same for the entire school year. I love the fact that because my kids put a lot of time into their sport, that they appreciate hard work and discipline. They have learned to be good sports and have developed an intense work ethic. Not many kids can put in the hours that they do and still have the grades that they do. They are more discerning about what they do with their free time since they have so little of it. They still enjoy spending time with the rest of the family because it is such a novelty.
It does make me sad that I don’t get to see the rest of my family more than I do. But, I have 2 parents that have been married for almost 50 years. I have a sister that has devoted her life to being a good mom, sister, aunt, and grand-ma. She works gazillions of hours without ever taking a day off so that she can take care of whatever is needed. She has 3 kids who are all very different, but all very wonderful. I know that they all love me and my kids and hope that they know that we love all of them very much. I have great in-laws that I get along with. I have a husband who loves his in-laws and who is loved by them. We are blessed to have that.
I could be sad about getting older, but I am rejoicing that I am still alive and healthy.
I could be sad that I/we still don’t “have it together” like I envisioned 10 years ago, but I am rejoicing that we have provided a loving, stable family for our girls and that our marriage is still going strong.
** So, my challenge for you is this: I want you to sign the guestbook and tell me either some bits of wisdom you have learned over the years, your favorite birthday present or your favorite birthday memory, or something that you are thankful for that may not at first have seemed like a blessing. My birthday present for myself will be to see how many comments that I can get from you guys answering these questions. I don’t want birthday wishes for myself, but insight into you guys out there and hopefully to gain some wisdom for myself. **
Thank you for stopping by and reading my always wordy posts.
6 comments:
As always, a tender and illuminating post.
What bits of wisdom can I share with you? Hmmm, there are so many things i have learned over the years it would take a post longer than yours to share them. So, I will share the most important one to me:
Look for the God (or the good) in every situation. No matter what the circumstances are that surround you, there is always God within it. Once this becomes a habit, it releases you from fear, worry, and disbelief. Never let anything or anyone steal your joy. Joy is what connects your heart and your head...your life and your God. Letting go of your joy is a choice. Choose to keep it by finding something good, something God, in everything.
God never fails. He always shows up. Don't try to control Him by defining your miracles for Him. What He can provide supersedes anything we could imagine. And don't always look for the big miracles because you may just miss the many small ones that come your way every day.
And, lastly, be grateful for every day you wake up. A day is a gift from God. But, once we awake, it is up to us to determine what we actually make of it. Choose to honor God by the way you journey through your day.
Happy Birthday, Pam. The best is yet to come!
Sue G
www.caringbridge.org/visit/sueguenther
my greatest birthday gift is the gift that i get every day. it is wakeing up next to the greatest woman in the world " your mom " an knowing that she gave birth to the 2 lites of my life . they in turned blessed me with 5 of the greatest grand kids any one could ask for but then we got another great gift with our 1 st great grand child.so pam u have got it all with the girls u have an the husband u have .may god keep on blessing u the way he has. "your dad "
From reading your post, I don't know that there is any wisdom to give you, but I can share with you my motto for making it through.... Stay Christ-centered. The world can be falling down around your ears, but as long as you are looking up, there is always hope.
And I take every opportunity to see God in everyday life. In the sunset that He paints to please me, in the smile on my little girls' faces to warm my heart, in the close parking spot when it's cold outside and I've got a sleeping 3 year-old...
Thank you for the gift of reflection on your birthday!
Have a wonderful day!
Noelle Chaves Babich
Sue said in all in that God is always there and he will see us through any situation, even if it isn't the way we we hoped it would be.
A few of my wishes are, "I wish I had stopped to smell the roses along the way. I wish I had taken more pictures of my girls and grandchildren, my parents and friends. I wish I had 5 minuets with my Mother to tell her even though my Dad hung the moon, she created it. I wish my husband and I had been more mature when we married. I wish everyone in the world , especially you and your sister, would take a minute , look at the beauty God created when he touched the sunset, sunrise, and the golden wheat fields with his paint brush. I wish you would always remember to take a moment for YOU. This is one of the most important things you could ever do. I wish we all knew it is not so important who thinks our family is the greatest as long as we ourselves do. "
I just Thank God for every birthday I have had and may he know each one makes me want to give back more love and more help to anyone who needs it.
I am truly proud of my girls just as I know I would have been my son. They are survivors. They are respectful and responsible. But I would love them no matter what.The love for my Grand children is just more than one could imagine.
Martys hope is that our beautiful family will be blessed with a new beginning every birthday they have.
May they always know they are loved, trusted and cared for.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ,M
I still have to say happy birthday. I think my FB post shared some of my most recent wisdom. I would say gratitude is probably the best virtue you can develop in life. There is soooo much to be grateful for, and you clearly have that figured out. Your girls are going to be some awfully special young women because of what the life you are living before them.
I'm wishing you a Happy Birthday anyway AND advising you to just stay in your 30s! I've decided every bday from now on will be 39! I just keep telling myself it's just a number! I'm amazed at all you do!
So, in answer to your questions, my bit of wisdom is: don't sweat the small stuff. If you (or more importantly, your kids) have your health, everything else will fall into place. Life has a way of working itself out. It probably won't be in the way we envisioned or planned, but it will work out.
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