Happy Birthday

My birthday was this weekend. And although my dad called me just to tease me about getting one step closer to forty, I was also serenaded by voice mail and by webcam by my niece and nephew in a couple of rousing rounds of the Happy Birthday song. As far as the 40'th borthday being just around the corner, that's something I don't really mind. I think the age thing is all in one's head anyway. And if its all in your mind, I'm permanently six. Or twelve. But definitely NOT 37.
I spent this birthday focusing on gratefulness. There is something about the passing of another year that makes me reminisce, I think.
Here are just a few things that I'm grateful for right now:

• This back pain. It still hurts. Pretty bad, in fact. But I think its here in my life to teach me something, and I'm open learning from it. Am I having fun having to lay flat on my back and resting so much? NOT AT ALL! But I do believe I can learn from it. I have had hours and hours to lay down and read a new book which I am really into: Ted Dekkar's The Circle Trilogy (Black,Red, and White). I have more compassion for people who are in pain.
• Clean water. Every bottle of water I have to drink is a blessing. I'm grateful that God provides for me and that I can help provide children in Africa with clean water through the Water for Life clean water program.
• Rain. Its been raining on and off here in Texas for a couple weeks, after a long summer drought.
• My church friends. Even with my back pain being pretty severe, I have refused to let it keep me from attending Sunday School.
• I'm grateful that pretty soon I get to start shopping for Operation Christmas Child again. It's so much fun and it takes so little to make a little one happy!!
• Change. I used to hate change. I wanted so much for everything to stay the same that I wanted to just curl up in a ball under my covers and retreat from the world, close the door, and let everything stay the same. But you know what? I realize now that change is good. Sometimes change is exciting. My husband laughed the other day when I said, "I embrace change!" but I really meant it. The only constant in the world is change. The only thing that doesn't change in this world is God--and thank goodness HE stays the same, always.

So here's to one more year. I hope that God will keep doing a good work in me, and that next year I will have even more to be grateful for.