Reflection

Well, I am turning 32 tomorrow- where does the time go, really?
I remember in my 20's, I always felt I needed to rush, or be in a hurry to do things once my birthday arrived. I guess I thought I'd wake up and be an old lady who hadn't accomplished all that I'd hoped to accomplish in life or something!! The truth is, you really are as old as you feel, and I still feel about 25, so I'm in good shape, right?
I can say that I've learned a lot since I was 25 though. In most cases, I've learned it the hard way too. I think to myself sometimes that I am the same person but different, which is a contradictory statement, I know! I guess what I mean is, For the most part, I still have the same temperament, morals, values, etc.as I did before, but I see the world and view my life differently than I once did. I've more or less grown as a person and as a Christian. I've learned from the many, many, many, many, many (lol) mistakes I've made which I feel is an accomplishment. I hope I continue to learn from the many, many, many more I will make in the future!
I remember when I first graduated from high school, I felt sure I'd have graduated from college by the time I turned 21, and would be married and starting a family shortly thereafter. Well, let's just say, that didn't happen. There were lots of other things that I thought would happen in my college years, that surely didn't turn out as well. If you would have told me that I'd be married to a close friend of my brother Mitchell's, living and teaching in Pearl, MS, raising a child with heart problems and Turner's Syndrome- I would have first freaked out because that is pretty detailed (haha), and then asked if you'd lost your mind!! I guess this is the case for most people though, we have all of these expectations in life, and some of them turn out, but usually not the way we thought they would.
I do know that you have to be able to bend. If you won't bend, then life is going to get you down. Now, I am surely not saying to settle and give up on things. What I am saying is that you have to give a little more sometimes, even if you really don't want to, and you have to understand that what God wants for you, isn't always what you want for you. That is probably the most important thing I have learned in 32 years of life. Even more, I've learned that even if what God wants isn't what I had planned for in the beginning, it brings me more joy than I would have experienced doing it my own way.
Regardless of how I got to where I am, I am here, and I love it. I used to carry so much just 'stuff' around with me. I guess you could call them burdens. Thankfully, as I have grown closer to God, that part of me has faded away. Even when my mind is so crazy, that I can't focus on praying like I should, I am always able to just praise God and tell him how thankful I am for what I've been blessed with. If there is one thing I want to teach Avery, it is how to measure wealth. I want her to see the abundance of love surrounding her, all of her physical needs that have been met, and most of all, the sacrifice of Jesus Christ given to save her. No matter how much money I have, I am rich. I am thankful for the 32 years God has given me and all of those I've been given to share that time with! I'm just wondering what else is in store! Happy Birthday to ME!! Lol