Gratitude // Post-Birthday Reflections - Part I

“Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you, and to give thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.”

― Ralph Waldo Emerson

Gratitude.  This is what I'm feeling as I have rounded the corner of another year of this life.  Celebrating birthdays tend to tug at this theme a little harder for me with each passing year, but I've also focused on a mindset to, as the quote above so beautifully states, "cultivate a habit of being grateful" each day. 

It is with gratitude that I thank God for His ever-present hands of grace and mercy over me, His love for me, and His desire to push me into my purpose for His glory.

It is with gratitude that I thank my loving husband who ensures that my birthday is fully celebrated each and every year with no objection.  Last year, he hosted a luau-themed birthday party for me and invited my family and friends.  It was such a fun celebration!  By default, I am not one to make a big deal out of my birthday (read this post to find out why,) but I'm grateful that my husband is.  This is just one of many significant examples of how we are better together as a couple.

It is with gratitude that I am beyond thankful for my sons.  God made me a Mama to the most precious, kind, sweet, loving, "hold my own when I need to" little boys!  Being a mother has filled my life with such a purpose beyond what I ever anticipated or expected.  Being a mother of two boys has refined that purpose to strive daily to ensure that I am planting seeds into boys that will grow and bear fruit as men.

It is with gratitude that I give thanks for everything in my life that's pushed me to pursue God, seize my purpose, and illustrate His plan.  From budding and lasting relationships to my career opportunities and endeavors, and all the situations and circumstances in between, life's experiences have shaped and molded the gal behind these words.  Some sharpening, others bending, but none breaking.  They just made me stronger and more flexible for whatever came my way!

So, here's to continuing to give thanks for the large and the small, for the seen and the unseen, and for what's here and what's to come.   

With gratitude, 

Ang