31

Today is my birthday! It really is--this is not an April Fool's joke. :) I have always been glad that my birthday is in the spring, and I even think it's fun that it falls on a silly holiday. When I was growing up, my parents did a great job of making my birthday a special day; and they did not allow my siblings to tease me or make me miserable on this day. So I always loved my birthday and didn't think it odd to have a birthday on April Fool's Day until I was much older and saw how some people "celebrate" this day. :)

Today has been a wonderful day, full of joy and relaxation and remembrance and music and time with family and sweet birthday greetings from friends near and far. Jeff made cards for me--one from himself and one from the boys. He is so creative in that way; and every year I think, "This card is the best ever!" And then the next year, he outdoes the one before. Jeff doesn't buy Hallmark moments; he creates them.

After we returned from a time of worship with a church this morning, we had a delicious birthday lunch at my parents' house. My mother fixed all my favorites; and it was so, so, so, so yummy. She even made grape pie--my request--for dessert. Not very many people are so blessed as to have grape pie for their birthday! :)

Tonight I went to a Harmonia Sacra singing (see http://www.fasola.org/ for more info), and it was delightful! I really only knew one of the songs that we sang so I had to do a lot of sight reading, but the music was glorious and refreshing for my soul.

One of the lines that we sang was this: I am a miracle of grace. And I thought how appropriate that was for me today. First of all, my middle name is Grace; and the concept of grace has been a driving force in my life. Second, I really am a miracle baby! My parents were told (by a high-up doctor/professor in a medical university) that they would never be able to have biological children...but thanks to Shaklee vitamins (and God's power!), they did conceive...and here I am! (It's actually a longer story than that, but the condensed version will suffice.) :)

Speaking of grace, my middle name comes from my great-grandmother who was Grace Ellen. My mother told me today that when they went to Pennsylvania after I was born to visit her family there, my great-grandmother said, "I can't believe you named her after me!!!" She was extremely surprised and honored, and I've always been proud to have her name. She was a spry, spunky old lady when I knew her; and she lived to be 96 or 97--and was self-sufficient enough to live alone in her own home until her death. (Dad, you can correct me in the comments if I'm wrong about her age!)

I turned 31 today and feel great about it! I have never been reluctant to reveal my age, and I don't think I ever will be. For one thing, it seems like kind of a silly thing to try to hide; after all, I didn't have anything to do with when I was born, and I have absolutely no control over my age! Secondly, when I was growing up, people often thought I was older because they thought I was so mature (although reading through the journals I kept during junior high school reveals a girl who was anything but mature!!!). Anyway, I equated being older with something good, and I actually wanted to be older because all my siblings and almost all of my friends were older. So maybe those early experiences have prepared me to feel great about aging. :)

One last thought about birthdays... Ever since I had children, I have felt that a mother should get a high degree of recognition on her children's birthdays. So to my own dear mother, I say this: THANK YOU for having me...thanks for all the hard work of delivering me...thanks for all the sacrifices you made to care for me as I grew...thanks for continuing to love me and care for me in so many ways. You're the best mother a girl could ask for! (And the same goes to you, Dad...except for the "hard work of delivering me" part.) :)