Loved

I find I get a little anxious in the days preceding my birthday.

Afraid of not feeling loved enough or something... it's an unfortunate reaction to the "special holidays" of which I am the focus.  Mother's Day is the other one and I wish I did not buy into the ridiculous musings and fear. 

Obviously I'm far too full of myself.

It's not fear of aging - I don't mind that because I now where this is all taking me.

However, there's no getting around a birthday so one must bravely wake up on that day and proceed through it with grace and dignity, come what may.

And good things came.

Starting with the day before when Leanne treated me to lunch at Red Robin where we have discussed many life events over the past many years.

We went all out and each had a burger!  Usually we split a salad, but obviously we needed to break that pattern for this special occasion.

There was even a free piece of mud pie which I had to bring home for future consumption as we had no room after all those FRIES! 

It's so amazing to have over 28 years of shared stories that continue to unfold in sometimes difficult and sometimes incredibly wonderful ways.

Our roots have gone deep into Jesus and He has held us firm through the trials and the joys.

My actual birthday morning arrived, cool and grey, but I awoke to this lovely scene.

My darling Patrice decorated the breakfast table and made me the most delicious waffles with decadent toppings.  

Oh my, pure bliss. 

And a perfect verse to meditate upon as I enter my 55th year.

A year of double grace!

I was halfway to work, and would have arrived there very late after the long, luxurious breakfast and visit with Patrice who just arrived home from her A Rocha working retreat the night before.

We had so much news to catch up on.

Plus, there is a guy...

So I turned around and headed home so that I could have the energy to party on, starting with lunch downtown with Marcia, Elsie and Patrice.

Pretty flowers from Elsie's garden!

Tasty little morsels were enjoyed after the pizza and I even happened to be downtown where I was able to pick up a free birthday drink from a local coffee shop.

Extremely satisfying and delicious day.

From there we headed back to school where my lovely colleagues had a bouquet of flowers, a card and earrings waiting for me! 

My supervisor knows how to make the workplace into a second home! 

The evening was dedicated to family, and since mom and dad don't have the energy to go out, we had Chinese food together at their place.

It's all about being together.

Celebrating the preciousness of family and life.

Generations coming together.

Grace upon grace.

With birthday cheesecake compliments of Nicole.

She's an incredible cook and baker!

And a pig containing succulents was her unique and lovely gift to me!

How cute is that?!

My heart is full.

My cup overflows.

I continue to wait on the Lord to strengthen me for this next leg of the journey.

55 in 2017

So many happy numbers for me in this year of Jubilee.