Birthday Thoughts

I think it's official now, I've reached the age where I'd just as soon not continue to have birthdays. This isn't because of a bad birthday experience, but instead because the associated number is now large enough that I'd be happy with it just staying put. One of Brittany's grandmothers said to me yesterday evening something to the effect of, (At your age) you don't look forward to birthdays anymore, the numbers just keep getting bigger. She is a dear, sweet lady and meant absolutely nothing negative toward me or my age (28) - nor did I take it that way, but I thought it was a telling comment.

All in all it was a good birthday. I got lots of emails from co-workers and family members, all of which were greatly appreciated.

My wife got me a gas-powered weed eater, something I'd wanted for a while. She gave it to me last week, but I hadn't needed to put it to use until yesterday. It's totally overkill for the size of our yard, but is a lot of fun and keeps me from having to drag around that cursed extension cord!

My parents got me a very cool gift, but I'm not going to disclose what it is until later - it will get its own post.

Brittany's family got me several things, a number of very nice articles of clothing, a gas can for my weed eater, and some much appreciated spending money (I told Britt this was the first time I'd had cash in my wallet in a while).

The gifts and cards are always fun and enjoyable, but I do try not to miss the more significant aspects of adding to my age. I try to make sure I'm reflecting on life enough to at least consider whether God has been glorified by my actions in the last year? Have I been the best husband I can be? (Sadly, no) Have I been the best friend I can be to those I care about? (Again, no, see last paragraph of this post) What does my life need to look like in the coming year to change the answers to the above questions in a positive way?

I think more than anything a birthday makes me thankful for all the blessings I have in life. God has been very gracious to me in so many ways. He has provided more than I ever expected. It is this gratitude, to God and to friends and family, that really makes me want to continue to grow as a Christian and a person.

In closing, I need to apologize to a friend. One of my best friends has a birthday just 3 days before mine. I know this, I've known this for years, I even thought of it last week sometime. But somehow I managed not to remember to call him on his birthday Saturday. I'm sorry, Mike, I hope you had a great birthday. I'll try to do better next year.