Happy Birthday to Me!

Today is my birthday, one of my favorite days of the year.

I've never really understood people that don't celebrate their birthday and don't want others to celebrate it either. I love birthdays. It's the one day of the year that is all yours. A day that you can celebrate being alive and being who you are.

Maybe I will feel differently as I get older, but af for now, I like getting older. Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm not crazy about the increasing fine lines I see under my eyes, or the fact that my neck isn't as smooth as it once was, or the fact that the weight seems to come on much easier nowadays. Those things I don't love so much. But the rest, I really do. I love that I am so much smarter today than I was when I was 31. I love the fact that I am so much more confident at 41 than I was at 26. I love watching my little boys starting to grow into young men, and to watch myself turn into a good mom and hopefully a good woman.

I love the fact that I think enough of myself to tell the truth about things, and to not waste time telling people what I think they want to hear. I love the fact that the older I get, the more artistic and creative I get, and the fact that I have the opportunity to spend time nurturing and growing that part of me.

I love the fact that after 10 years of marriage, Mike and I are starting to accept each other as we are, and are really beginning to enjoy each other for that.

I love the fact that I have a wonderful family, and wonderful friends, and a job in which I can feel like I make a difference.

I got a message from my law school roommate yesterday, wishing me a Happy Birthday today and telling me to celebrate the unique person that I am. I think that's good advice, really. I spent a lot of years wishing that I was less shy and more outgoing. That I had better hair. That I could sing or play a musical instrument. That I had a life different than the one I had. Now, here at 41 today, I think I've finally grown past a lot of that. I think I've gotten to the point that I can look at where I've been and be glad I'm not there anymore, but be thankful for what going through it brought me to. A point where I am comfortable in my own skin. A point where I do appreciate who I am, and who I was, and who I am still to be. A point where I realize that I am one of a kind, and to truly know that God made me who I am for His reasons and His purposes, and to glory in that.