Happy Birthday to Me

I LOVE birthdays...mine and everybody else's. It is a time to celebrate the person...knowing that God put them on this earth for a reason -- their birthday is a good reason to remember that none of us (or what happens to us) is either a surprise to God...or experienced without his knowledge.

Perhaps those words are more sobering than the Happy Birthday song...but today, I needed to be reminded of them. Most of you know that Royce and I have decided that the course of our lives will not take us down the same path. (A diplomatic way of saying :we broke up:). It has been very hard on me...because, personally, I had planned to spend the rest of my life with him. Ilove him and I love his son, Weston, with all of my heart. But love and a future takes two people who are absolutely sure that it is the correct plan -- and we didn't have that.

So today, I am celebrating that I have been here for 45 years...all under the watchcare of my heavenly Father.

I had a lovely time at the ScrapIt! crop this weekend. What a blessing my dear new friends are there. Ruthie made me and Ann (whose birthday is day after tomorrow) the most delicious cake. There was so much laughter and great conversation...oh and we did get a little cropping done. Six months ago, I didn't have these close friends...women with wisdom and wit who were ready to jump in to support me emotionally during these "goofy, mixed up, sad and icky" days. I am a blessed woman.

I am here for a reason.

I am not a mistake.

None of what is going on in my life is catching God by surprise...and He intends to carry me through it -- sometimes using the arms of my friends...and probably sometimes just comforting me as I sit in my chair reading His words. And sometimes I believe He intends to just use my friend to make me laugh so hard that I forget for a moment that I am even sad.

Kind of like this morning when I walked into work. In my office chair were three pots of Rhododendruns. My sweet friend Carole, who has been to my house and realized that the nearly dead Rhododendrun that had been planted by the houses previous owner was now officiallly dead and GONE -- decided to take my front landscape into her own hands....she not only has me well equipped with healthy plants....she has promised to come and plant them herself....and remind me when they need to be watered. I rise up and call her blessed....because while I love beautiful flowers and want them around my house...I don't really have that "green thumb" thing going unless I am in the middle of a scrapbooking painting project and have a lovely shade of Heidi Swapp "moss" on one of my thumbs.

Life is good. Friends are good. God is good.

Happy Birthday to me.

Love you guys....