We didn't plan it this way. Originally we had decided that the three of us would go out to dinner two weeks earlier, but life intervened. So we ended up going out on my birthday! Since neither of the boys had mentioned any plans, I felt this would be a good way to mark the day - being with friends.
I look back at how difficult this past year has been, bravely battling cancer, losing my Father, trying to regain strength. While it certainly hasn't been the best year of my life, I can't help but see that it could have been much much worse. I have found at every turn the love of God through family, friend, neighbor, employer, doctor, and even stranger. I have been abundantly cared for throughout, making today a true milestone to be thoroughly celebrated.
We sat together in a booth at Rohrbach's over potato pancakes, soup, salad, and sandwich and shared the hard spots in our lives. Deaths, discouragements, dilemmas, disasters. We have all known tough times. Then we shared the encouraging places, the turns for the better, the brightness of the future. No intentionality about our conversation. It just went wherever it wished, taking us on a grand tour. I can't believe we haven't done this before. It's great to just chat.
They surprised me with a beautiful card (the cake in the picture must have had over a hundred candles!) and picked up the tab. Happy Birthday! As we departed, each one heading in a different direction, I felt so light hearted and happy. Tough year? Yes. But good too. After all, I have been blessed with a bountiful harvest of wonderful friends.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment