Life is a Gift

Seize life! Eat bread with gusto,
Drink wine with a robust heart.
Oh yes—God takes pleasure in your pleasure!
Dress festively every morning.
Don’t skimp on colors and scarves.
Relish life with the spouse you love
Each and every day of your precarious life.
Each day is God’s gift. It’s all you get in exchange
For the hard work of staying alive.
Make the most of each one!
Whatever turns up, grab it and do it. And heartily!
This is your last and only chance at it,
For there’s neither work to do nor thoughts to think
In the company of the dead, where you’re most certainly headed.

-Ecclesiates 9:7-10 (the Message)

I love birthdays. They are my favorite. 

I don't even mind the fact that I am getting older, have more wrinkles & laugh lines or that things just aren't quite in the anatomically correct places anymore. 

It's not in the gifts given or the well wishes or the off-key singing or the dinner out or the flowers or even the cake. It's the celebration of life.

I am incredibly grateful for my life. 

For my sweet husband & our precious children. For my beautiful family, good friends & our amazing church. For a stable job & warm house & reliable car. For my adorable dogs. 

My life is far from perfect... 

But I am thankful for the good. For the bad. For the laughter. For the tears. For the joy. For the pain. For each & every second given to me this year by a God who not only has a plan for my life but knows each & every hair on my head. 

It is my prayer this year that I won't squander this gift I am given. & that I will indeed seize every moment I am given to extend grace, grow deeper, love stronger, laugh harder & live with enduring hope.  

Life... is a gift.