Another Year...

Well, today I celebrate yet another year of life. All day, I've been hearing everyone wish me a Happy Birthday, but I really haven't stopped long enough to really evaluate what it is that we should all celebrate each year when this occasion arises. It is always great to assess where you are headed during the year that you will experience at this new age, but I think it is also important to see how far we've come and to really celebrate the years that have come before. We are truly blessed in so many ways.

So today, I want to say how much I have been blessed in the last 32 years of life and how much I am thankful for:

My God for fearfully and wonderfully making me in my Mother's womb.
My Mother for birthing me into this world even though I was flipped upside down (destined to be a gymnast, I suppose).
My Father for doing puzzles with me at the kitchen table.
My sister Emily for letting me listen to her record player in her room.
My neighbors for exploring the creek down the street and getting us into trouble (the good kind).
My siblings for playing Sardines in the laundry chute.
My sister Julie for falling through the ceiling and dangling her legs until help arrived (LOL)!
My siblings for sliding down the stairs in our sleeping bags.
My sister Emily for vaulting over the couch using the Jazzercise trampoline.
My babysitter for waiting up with me for my Mom to come home late at night.
My brother John for subjecting me to his Cherry Bomb muffler in his Dodge Dart while he scared me half to death driving.
My Dad and Stepmom for bringing my little sister into the world and letting me help out with her.
My Stepdad for moving us to Germany for 4 years.
My first crush for asking me to slow dance for the first time :)
My sister Julie for being an example so that I would look forward to getting into youth group.
My 9th grade video teacher for instilling a love for film that sparked my life-long dream.
My best friends who stayed up all night with me making silly, but totally awesome videos.
My Mom and Stepdad for taking us all over Europe to explore other cultures.
My coach for pushing me to new levels in my gymnastics career.
My sister Julie for letting me come into her room at night when I was scared.
My Stepdad for teaching me how to drive (a stick).
My Mom for letting me drive on the Autobahn (woo hoo!).
My Youth Group leader for teaching me the power of prayer.
My brother and sister for leading me to have one of the best jobs a teenager could have at the local amusement park!
My Mom for telling me to apply to Penn State when I didn't want to.
My first coaching job that would continue the love affair that I have with the sport.
My first college roommate for throwing pillows at me every morning because I wouldn't wake up.
My best friend Lish for showing me the ropes at school and making me laugh for 4 years!
My roommate Taj for laughing for weeks about Hair.
My friends Mike and Dominic for letting me crash their radio show every week in the wee hours of the morning.
My sister Emily for driving with me across country with no sleep and letting me crash on her couch for a year.
My first supervisor for showing me how a good working relationship should be.
My co-worker Helen for demonstrating true selflessness and renewing my faith in the good nature of people.
My co-worker Hanh for forcing me to hold back tears of laughter in meetings on a daily basis.
My God for using my friend Rimo to tell me about a church that would end up being the place where I got saved.
My Pastor for teaching me the real deal about the Bible and why God sent Jesus to die and be risen again.
My friend for asking me to be part of the dance ministry which would spark something in me that would blossom into years of service.
My church for being such a big part of my life that helped me to stay focused on the right things.
My Father for accepting my boyfriend (now husband) Michael as part of my life and eventually part of the family.
My husband Michael for being my best friend, asking me to marry him and for bringing my step-children and our newest angel Kylah into my life.
My daughter Kylah for making me smile every day all day.

Wow! When you start to write all of the things that have blessed you over the years, you can truly see how amazing your life is! Many times, what we remember about our past are all of the negative experiences we have had. But if you take the time to single out all of the blessings that your past holds, you may be surprised at all of the memories that come rushing back! I think I'll make it a tradition to do this every year! You should try it!