Birthdays are the Best



Last Tuesday was my 49th birthday. Yep, I'm officially an old chick. If it comes as a surprise that I put my real age in the first sentence of this entry, you need to know a little secret. I'm grateful for every year that God gives me.

When I was 25 years old, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl and the next day I found out that I had malignant melanoma. Going through surgery, post-op infection and a long recovery was a daunting task at 25. Add in a newborn and a four-year-old, and it was a pretty scary time. God guided me through each step and with the help of my family, I was back to normal in a few months time.

Never again will I take for granted another birthday; another year of life. Never again will I complain about getting older. Since then, I love celebrating another year with a big, noisy birthday party. Yes, my hair is gray and I've got more wrinkles than a Shar-Pei puppy, and I'm loving every minute of this messy, loud blessed life that God has given me.

***

Today, I had a completely unique adventure. I went to my favorite Ark City salon, Shear Success, and got my hair and makeup done. Girlish whim, you ask? No, I had my first professional photo shoot this afternoon. The pictures should be ready in a few weeks, so watch my blog and Facebook page for a glimpse. Special thanks to Erica Hadorn at Shear Success for the makeover and Kalaina Seidel at Candid Moments Photography for sharing her talent.

***

Reading through the church bulletin on Sunday, I came across this verse:

I Peter 5:10 (KJV)
"But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you."

This has been rattling around in my crazy little brain ever since I read it. Those phrases: "suffered a while," "make you perfect" and "settle you." I don't think He means that we will be loaded down with trials and tribulation, but that our life here on earth is hard and sin-filled. Also, suffering won't make us "perfect," but it will perfect (or mature) our faith in God. Settling my heart, my mind and my very busy nerves sounds heavenly to me.

***

Female in Motion Exercise Update: I did three aerobic workouts last week. I want to try and increase that by one more on a regular basis. I will be taking a trip in April that will require a lot of walking, and I want my endurance to be tip-top.

***

Notable Quote:

"Because time itself is like a spiral, something special happens on your birthday each year: The same energy that God invested in you at birth is present once again."--Menachem Mendel Schneerson

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