First Day in a New Birth Year

Happy Birthday to me!

I celebrated my 33rd birthday yesterday and it was an eye-opener for me on many different levels.  Let me list my realizations.  Disclaimer:  not all are happy and positive so for those who are expecting sweetness overdose, you'll get some sugar but some tamarind as well.  Ironically, I like those sweet/salty tamarind candies a lot, but I digress.

Realization # 1-  I am blessed greatly through my mom, kids, and friends.  A great number of people greeted me yesterday via SMS and through Facebook.  When I woke up, I had my excited 6 and 4 year olds greeting me, hugging me, giving me home-made greeting cards and wanting me to blow out birthday candles. My mom gave me a simple but heartfelt gift and a cute greeting card.  It showed how much they were thinking of me and how much they wanted that day, MY day, be special.  After that, all the other greetings were icing on the cake. Admittedly, there were a couple of greetings I hoped would be more (I tried to quash my expectations) but at the end of the day, I realized that those who love me, remembered, and thought about me, wished me well, and that was more than I could expect or ask for.

Realization # 2-  That I am a long way from achieving contentment.  I struggled at times during the day not to feel disappointment or to expect lavish gifts.  See, occasions have always been a big deal to me.  Birthdays, Anniversaries, Valentines, and Christmas were important occasions that could not be forgotten and I thought should be marked with a physical manifestation of how important the date, and I, am/was to a person/certain people.  This was my struggle with the couple of texts I mentioned earlier.

Realization # 3- That I need to pray more and to trust in Him more so that I may not feel alone or afraid over uncertainty.

Realization # 4-  That I am so much better today than I was on the same day one year ago.  So many things have happened over the course of 12 months that it is amazing to look at as a timeline.  Amazing to me.  I have been blessed with this knowledge and relationship that there is this loving and forgiving God who will never leave me, whom I can lean on and trust, and who has my best interest at heart always.  And because of this acceptance my life is brighter and filled with more hope than it has ever been, and this in spite of the same, persisting problems.  I don't know how to verbalize this well here except to say that I am blessed.

To end this post on a lighter note, I will include here a picture of a home-made cake.  I made my very first chocolate cake yesterday, mostly to please my kids, but I only took a picture on my cel phone and I don't know how to upload from it so....

..here is one that looks very similar to the one I made except mine was sans sprinkles.

I am blessed and I pray for the strength, focus, and discernment to live a life pleasing to the Lord, to make decisions and plans according to His will so that I may have the overflow of a fruitful life.



xoxo,
Vicki

Just a Day Away

Hmm...it seems odd to be writing this post about what I am hoping for the next year. I feel a strange sense of deja vu. I remember writing a post like this almost three years ago when I first started to blog. I have to say, I really got what I listed there, although not in the form I was expecting. Which adds to my nerves as I write this, to be honest. But I know that He just stripped me of my false idols to help me see the important things and to help me on my journey of contentment. Three years down the road and I am still learning this lesson but I think I am doing better today that this same day last year.

So, what is it I pray for this coming year of 33? Good question. Let me list in as clear a manner as I possibly can.

Tangible Stuff:

1. To settle into our new place and have that be a home of happiness and growth. The last 14 months have been very trying and I an hoping that I can put these behind me and create a smoother path for myself and my kids.

2. To have the kids's tuition and all school-related requirments throughout the year be covered so I don't have to think about this until next school year.

3. For my kids to adjust to their new levels in school, their new home, well.

4. To find and start a job that will be rewarding both for career and for myself, personally.

5. To have viable savings at the end of the year.

Intangibles:

1. With all listed above, I also want to learn to be content. I do not crave for very expensive things or fantabulous trips- although if blessed, these would be great. I want to always be able to look at what I have and feel blessed and to be able to thank the Lord for even those things that I don't have.

2. I want to be able to read the Bible and understand it completely.

3. I want to further my relationship with the Lord so that I can teach my kids how to have an intimate one with Him as well.

Looking at these points it seems the intangibles are actually harder to achieve than the tangibles. Nevertheless, I remain hopeful for both.

Advanced Happy Birthday to me!

xoxo, Vicki

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Matthew 11:28-30 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Psalm 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart."

Almost Happy Birthday!

I cannot believe it has been about a year since I last blogged. I remember I used to blog pretty regularly. I think this became infrequent after I turned 30 and after so many life-altering events. Well, I was browsing through the blog of a mom-blogger whom I admire greatly and I thought to myself that now would be a good time to get back to the habit of blogging. And so fitting that the Lord should speak to me today, so close to my 33rd birthday. It is time indeed. I need to refamiliarize myself with all the functions on Blogger so I will leave this very first post at this for now. Time to experiment! Happy to be back blogging world! xoxo, Vicki