I just celebrated my birthday this past Wednesday. Birthdays always make me reflect on past birthdays, and of course this birthday was no different. I thought about what that Thursday when I was born must have been like for my mom. Was she afraid? Was she excited?
Those thoughts led me to think about all the birthdays that followed, when I was a child and then a teenager. My Mutti always did her best to make birthdays special for all of us. She baked birthday cakes, invited our friends over for a party, often sewed a new dress, and there were always her handwritten cards.
I was sitting in bed drinking my cup of coffee when I was reminiscing about all this. I looked down on my lap and saw my Bible I was planning to read in. It was then, that I was overwhelmed with gratefulness for all the years God has granted me to live and breathe and laugh.
My list of gratefulness grew as I kept reminiscing. Last year I spent my birthday with a special friend on a beach on Lake Huron. The day had been gloriously warm for a spring day in Michigan. We had packed a picnic basket and had talked about anything and everything. We got home late and were both beaming and happy.
When I looked up from my cup of coffee, I realized that this day would be very different than last year. It was a cool and rainy day (typical weather for Michigan in May). "But", I said out loud to myself, "this will be a sunny day as well". It would be rainy, however the sun would shine behind the clouds, and also inside my heart. You see, I was meeting my dear ROCK friend Denine for lunch, followed by a shopping trip to The Country View Bulk Store.
(Denine is my ROCK friend because she is so unchanging and leans so firmly on God, who is our Rock.)
The day turned out to be beautiful! I had breakfast with my son, lunch with Denine, and dinner with my husband. Throughout my day I was amazed at how blessed I am. I was so blessed to be asked to sign my two books for Denine. Thinking of what to write in them, I was once again so grateful to know I have her support. Not only that, but my young adult son made time to have a leisurely breakfast with me. For dinner my husband and I had nothing special to eat, but we had each others company and that was enough.
Whenever I have feelings of discontent, I try to write down just three things I am thankful for. Gratefulness takes practice. Focusing on each blessing God provides to me, will often make me burst into a song of praise! When this happens, I feel overwhelmed by His love for me.
So what are three things you are thankful for today?
Count you blessings until next time!
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