July 20th I celebrated my 35th birthday. This was my first birthday in three years that I wasn’t packing for a move or unpacking from a move. That alone is a wonderful birthday present! Our kids outdid themselves this year with making sure I felt loved. Becca and Isaiah got up at 1:40AM to hang some decorations, sweep the outside porch, start the coffee for the morning, and go downstairs and plant some flowers (weeds) that Isaiah had found in the back of our yard on either side of our steps. I knew they were planning something. I was awake and knew that they had opened the porch door, but I had no idea they went downstairs. I can only imagine them out there digging holes to plant flowers at 2AM. All their work was done around 2:40 and I made sure that they all made it back in bed. We have such sweet kids!
For dinner, we grilled chicken on our Khmer clay pot grill and ate it with baked potatoes and salad (sans the lettuce). Isaiah made muffins in the morning. Becca made cherry bars for my birthday dessert (we brought a can of cherry filling from America). The kids all made me jewelry for my birthday. Josh had the day off and helped the kids finished up their birthday gifts and was around all day to help. It was a lovely way to celebrate. We ended the night by playing games.
I was planning to write about all these things I’ve learned and ways I’ve grown, but I don’t have time and our internet is terrible right now. Life is very full…and there’s so much more I could do doing. There are so many needs screaming out to me – there’s always more to do with the responsibilities I already have – more ways to do them better, and more new things that could be done. But one thing I’m learning about more and more is my weakness and the wonderful strength of God. He will lead – I can follow. He will give – I can use. He will prohibit – I can submit. He will day by day take my heart of stone and give me a heart of flesh. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Looking forward to seeing Him work these next 35 years of my life.