A Wonderfully Strange 38th Birthday!

This year was going to be different. A few weeks ago I was challenged to look in the mirror daily and see from God's perspective. This was not an easy assignment since I really get uncomfortable looking myself in the eye. I have noticed now that I help others pick out glasses and make them look in the mirror that I am not alone in this and it makes me sad. So, this year I was determined to celebrate ME in a big way! I was not going to hide in the background or say, "It's just another day." I was going to go BIG!

Let's backtrack a bit... A few weeks ago I had a coworker ask me what my favorite dessert was and I had no clue. You see, I have been on this journey over the last I don't know 3-5ish years of getting to know myself again. I think sometimes we just get busy taking care of others that we loose a bit of ourselves. I'm so use to trying to make others happy that I forgot what makes me happy.

What makes me happy you ask?

Glitter, the color blue, rainbow sprinkles, bright colorful flowers, hmmm what else...

Anyway so for once in a long time I was actually excited for my birthday.

AND THEN..

Tuesday (one day before the big day) I started the day with a runny nose. No big deal right? EXCEPT COVID!!!! (picture the biggest eye roll you've ever seen from me). I washed my hands after every nose blow and questioned if I should cancel my plans that evening. My birthday was starting by finally getting together with my favorite adopted grandma who I haven't seen since I quit the bank back in October. I was so excited to see her!!! By the afternoon I started feeling pretty rough and sucked up my pride and called my sweet friend and asked her what her thoughts were. We decided to postpone our night and she was grateful I was considerate of her. That evening I started feeling worse and I decided to cancel morning bacon with my birthday twin Isaiah. People this has been tradition for the last decade and at this point I was really wrestling with life just isn't fair right now.

Please, God let me feel better tomorrow!!!!

Birthday morning: I didn't feel better. Big long sighhhhhhhhhhh. All the drainage was making my throat scratchy, my head was pounding, I felt overheated at times..... the usual sinus/allergy whatever. So, on my 38th birthday I made an appointment for a covid test.

Even though I felt less than stellar and was super bummed my plans were cancelled I had such a beautiful peace within. Messages were starting to pour in from family and friends and I felt surrounded by love. I made more ginger lemon tea (fantastic to kick the sickness quickly) and even topped my protein shake with whipped topping and unicorn sprinkles. When it was time to get ready for the test I put on my camo T-Shirt with the word Faith on it and I headed out.

IT WAS GORGEOUS OUT!!

My fabulous coworkers let me do curbside pickup for a piece of my delicious chocolate truffle bomb cake. I gave her a flavor profile since I still couldn't come up with my favorite dessert and she came up with this heavenly idea. You should have seen this beauty!! Then I headed to my destination. I wasn't exactly sure where I was going and usually I get super anxious of the unknown but again I just felt peace today and even though I felt lousy I felt strong if that makes any sense at all. It was an inner peace and strength that truly comes from God and God alone. As I was walking to the testing sight a person tapped on their car window to get my attention and as I glanced over I saw a fist and a middle finger. I smiled and kept walking and started to chuckle. I immediately was reminded of the verse in Matthew about being hated for Christ's namesake. What was really neat was I was following a security guard and it was just a symbolic picture to me of how God is our security. I was fully covered in the armor of God and Psalm 91 was being prayed over me by my intercessors.

At the testing sight the kind lady covered in head to toe plastic wished me a happy birthday and then jammed a q-tip up my nostril.