Birthdays

I like Dove dark chocolate. I bought a new package this weekend. The first two pieces that I ate both said, "Be proud of your age."
Did they know my birthday was coming up this week? Of course not, but a little eerie to me.

I got to thinking about the last couple of birthdays.  One month before my birthday in 2013, I went parasailing in a bay for the first time, with my mother no less. One month before my birthday in 2014, I went ziplining over the Victorian Falls Gorge. This year, a month before my birthday, I went parasailing solo over the ocean, and I was able to see a group of dolphins as I did so. It kind of makes me curious about what next year will hold, but I am getting ahead of myself.

Last year on my birthday, we were in the capital welcoming new summer volunteers to our team and getting them ready for the adventure ahead of them. Our family had just come back from training, and I was excited to put into practice all that we had learned. In the weeks following, I was scratched by a monkey while out with our super summer volunteers, got to oversee language evaluations for our amazing teammates, and attended a funeral for a chief.

Then all plans went out the window when I was sent back to the states to be properly diagnosed. The cancer stopped my agenda, but it did not stop God's. I would never have imagined how this year would have gone.  I am a year older and I feel a good bit wiser. So this week I will celebrate another year of fabulous, that is a fabulous God who has walked our family through this year and will continue to do so. I am thankful for all those who have walked this journey with us through prayer and encouragement.

So Dove, I will indeed be proud of my age!