Another Birthday

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

Another birthday crept up on me and flew past this last week. The older I get, the faster they come around. This one isn’t a milestone, but for some reason, it feels like a big one. Maybe because I’m on the precipice of a milestone birthday (the big 5-0 next year), and many of my friends and former classmates have already surpassed it.

For me, birthdays are a time of reflection. What have I learned in the last year? The last five years? The last ten years? Ten years ago, I was about to embark on a major life upheaval. Within a few months of my birthday, I had quit my job, started editing full time, and moved to the big city. I had a handful of friends and acquaintances but only a couple of close friends. Now, I still live in the big city, but I work a full-time office job and edit part-time. I have several close friends—more than this shy introvert ever thought possible, really. Continue reading “Another Birthday”

Counting My Days

“Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is.” (Psalm 39:4)

Birthdays are cause for great celebration, and as I get older, I’ve noticed that I reflect more on my life and where I am at any given time. Birthdays mark milestones—when we’re young, we pass from childhood to teenage years to adulthood. Milestones don’t stop there, as we celebrate our entry into a new decade at each turn—30, 40, 50, then 65, 70, and so on, if we live long enough.

I celebrated my birthday last week, and while I’ll soon close out my forties, I’m still a couple of years away from entering that fifth decade of my life. (How has time gone by so fast?) I’ve accomplished many things, but I’m now at an age where I know certain things will not happen for me. Continue reading “Counting My Days”

Birthday Reflections

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lam. 3:22–23)

August is my birthday month, and each year, I approach the days leading up to my birthday with an attitude of reflection. What have I accomplished this past year? What do I want the next year to bring? Continue reading “Birthday Reflections”

Celebrating Another Year

For through wisdom your days will be many, and years will be added to your life. (Prov. 9:11)

Happy birthday month to me!

Yes, that’s right—my forty-fourth birthday fell on Friday, August 13. I’m a big fan of Friday the 13th birthdays. I hold none of the superstitions about the date, and I feel a comradeship with others who were born on the thirteenth of any month due to the suspicious view of the number thirteen. I, on the other hand, think it’s fun. Continue reading “Celebrating Another Year”

A Birthday Memory

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. (1 Thess 5:11)

Some people don’t like celebrating or even acknowledging their birthdays, but I’ve never been that way. I view my birthday as an opportunity to connect with friends and family. It’s a time for introspection. It’s a time for fun. And in August 2020, during the year of the COVID-19 pandemic, I’m reflecting on the birthday memory that stands out the most.

One of my most vivid birthday memories is from a couple of decades ago. (How did I get so old?!) My Chicken Soup for the Shopper’s Soul short story, “The Birthday Surprise,” is about my twentieth birthday, when I lived in Germany with my then-husband, who was in the US Army. I had been there about three months and hadn’t met many women yet. My husband was being sent on maneuvers for a few days, so I planned to spend the day alone, thousands of miles from family and friends, feeling sorry for myself. (I know, it wasn’t my finest moment.) Continue reading “A Birthday Memory”