I had no idea when I blissfully took my big-balloon birthday photo last year to celebrate my 46th trip around the sun that the days that were about to follow would be the hardest ones of my life. I’m tempted to say the worst, but I can’t. They were also the greatest gift. For all of the pain, beauty blossomed in the most sacred of places. For all of the fear, compassion rooted deep so I could be strong and serve for the long haul. And for all of the despair, hope never left my side, even on the days she was but a shadow.
My dream for this year is to laugh from the tips of my toes, smile until my eyes twinkle, and keep growing more and more in love with the ones I’ve been blessed with and this rich life I’ve been given—no matter what comes my way.
Fun facts: Not only did Summer make this yummy, homemade cake + frosting with Nana, she pointed out that my gold “47” balloon could also be “74”. I’ll let you figure out why I thought that was so cool! Four and seven also happen to be my highest-scoring enneagram numbers, so I’m thinking this is destined to be a soulful + sparkly year. If anyone else has turned an age that aligned with your top enneagram numbers, let me know how it turned out!
Thank you for all the birthday love, you sure know how to make a girl feel special. XO
I’m listening to: