The Best Kind of Birthday

After celebrating with my mom and my daughter on Sunday, and after a busy first part of the week, I looked forward to a quiet birthday yesterday.  

Photo by Bekah

It was rather quiet...and yet filled with delights!

It was a jammies-until-noon sort of day.  A day which began with a birthday phone call from my mom. And then a birthday phone call from my daughter Kristin. 

It was a day of leftovers for lunch. A day of reading birthday greetings on Facebook, kind words from friends and family far and near.

It was a day that our school order came in the mail and we nosed through our new books and got excited over the year to come.

It was a day in which I did a little window shopping and then bought groceries (oh well...I said the day was quiet, not perfect ~smile~).  A day in which I ran into a friend who didn't recognize me at first (note: gray hair and new bifocals) and then I began to feel another year older. And then I heard a familiar voice call my name as I was leaving the store and I looked and saw my dear Ron who was running an errand on his way home from work (he may or may not have been buying a last minute birthday card).  And he grabbed my arm and said, "You are the cutest thing." And I left the store feeling "cute" even with the gray hair and bifocals. 

It was a day of an Asian Chicken Salad at Panera. And of talking about buying a lemon crumb pie on the way home but the girls saying, "Birthday dessert is already taken care of." 

It was coming home to the sweetest message on the answering machine. The voices of Ryan, Sarah, Eve, Nora, and Peter singing "Happy Birthday" and each one of them wishing me a happy birthday...oh those voices!

Yes, it was an evening of sweetness...pretty ice cream cupcakes from Dairy Queen and a candle to blow out and thoughtful gifts. 

It was an evening of music and worship as I asked Bekah to play my favorite hymn on the piano and my heart was stirred and tears welled in my eyes as I sang the wonderful words. 

Spirit of God, descend upon my heart.
Wean it from earth, through all its pulses move.
Stoop to my weakness, mighty as Thou art,
And make me love Thee as I ought to love.

And then we asked for others and she played and we sang and my heart was full.

Open my eyes that I may see glimpses of truth you have for me...

I sing the mighty power of God...

Amazing love!  How can it be that Thou my God wouldst die for me?

Oh, it was the best kind of birthday!