Today's my birthday!

It's hard to fathom another year has gone by- I'm another year older- my life is one year less! Six weeks ago, I heard of a woman who had just been given 5 weeks to live. I was struck by such a brief amount of time. I wondered for days what I would want to do if I was told I only had 5 weeks left to live. Who would I want to be with? What things would I want to accomplish or what words would I want to say and to whom?

I never really came up good answers for all of it. I knew that I would want Ren and the girls with me to touch, to hold, to say I love them. I would call my parents & siblings and some dear friends and remind them that I love them too and how grateful I am that they have been in my life.

But I couldn't really come up with things I wanted to do yet. A bucket list didn't seem that important. With all those dear people around me- there really is little else I would want to do. The rest just doesn't matter. I wouldn't want to finish 'uncluttering' my home as I wrote about yesterday. I wouldn't want to complete my spring wardrobe or create a perfect front garden. I wouldn't care if I ever visited Rome or Israel, unless my girls were there. I wouldn't care if I wrote another message or even a book. I might write here again- but only because I would want to say something to you- the reader who cared enough about me to read what I would write in my last days.

Here I am 6 weeks later. The woman who had 5 weeks has already gone on to be with the Lord. I'm still here! To live, to love, to laugh with all those precious people God has placed in my life. I celebrate that you are in my life! I'm so grateful! Thank you for allowing God to use your gifts and abilities to strengthen and empower mine! You are such a gift! It's you I celebrate today!