so here are just a few highlights:
starbucks @ the mall, with a handful of 'freebie' promotions. free stuff from sephora, bath & body works & victoria's secret. nothing better than FREE BIRTHDAY PRESENTS :)
the airshow is in town this weekend & the blue angels have been giving me my very own BIRTHDAY FLY OVERS. how cool is that? (what? they weren't doing that just for me? say it isn't so!) lol.
those are pretty normal, right? okay, brace yourself bc the next part may be out of your comfort zone :)you see, God and i have an inside joke. really. if you don't think God has a sense of humor, then you haven't lived my life. that God...he thinks he's pretty funny...sometimes i am.NOT.amused.
but today...TODAY...he cracked me up.from the time i was a little girl, it seemed like i'd always catch the clock at 9:23. or i'd notice it on a license plate...or a street address...923 was everywhere (if you're paying attention, it also happens to be my birth date). seriously, it was all OVER the place.
whatever. i thought it was weird. but i'm weird, right? i feel a collective nod of heads...
but it didn't stop as i got older...and i started trying to find some important 'meaning' in it...i went through the bible...ninth book, twenty third verse? 923rd page? etc. etc. etc. but nothing ever made sense.
one night when we were living in ohio, i was having a really rough night & had been praying & crying out for God to let me know he cared. weeping mode crying. and then the phone rang. i remember it like it was yesterday. i was kind of annoyed that my pity-party-cry-fest had been interrupted.the tears stopped, i chatted for a bit and then i just turned the tv on...and at that moment a commercial came on...it was a runner...he was jumping hurdles...he was racing...the voice over was talking about overcoming obstacles, staying the course, jumping hurdles, pressing on...running the race that you were BORN TO RACE.
across the man's chest was his runner's number. care to guess? YEP. 923.
and the tears started again. could it be that simple? could it just be that the number 923 has significance JUST BECAUSE I WAS BORN? because i exist? i felt like it was just a message that God had a plan for my life...and that he was GLAD i was here.and from that moment on, the whole 923 thing became a little love message from heaven.
some of you are rolling your eyes right now, right?seems like right at some of my most challenging moments, when i'm doubting everything, there it is. 9.2.3. again.
so tonight i had to drop jordan off at volleyball practice. it was POURING. the sky was scary. dropped her off and realized i needed to stop and get milk. not gonna lie. kinda wanted to say some bad words as i ran through the parking lot getting soaked.went to the back of the store. got my gallon of milk. headed for the check out. passed the pharmacy and realized that i should probably get something to help austin breathe. allergies are messing with him big time. deliberated for a moment on name brand vicks or target brand. opted for the cheapy version. passed the cough drops a few feet down and realized jordan said her nose wasn't bad but her throat was scratchy...again, hall's or target brand? grabbed the generic and once again headed to the check out.
placed my items on the conveyor belt and added a cold dr. pepper for austin...
digging through my purse for my debit card and i hear the girl say:
'your total is $9.23.'excuse me? i look up and there it is on the screen:
and i just laughed. i'm SURE the girl thought i was nuts. because i told her that if she didn't mind, since there was no one behind me, i needed to take a picture of it.
if you come to visit me in the near future, prepare to see this baby framed. it makes me smile. if i had purchased two gallons of milk, or bought name brand cough drops...or a pack of pretzel m&m's (which is not really all that unusual for me LOL)...but it was the perfect combination...what THE heck?this, my friends, is the God of the universe, wishing ME a happy birthday.yep. go ahead. giggle. i did. but i also said a little prayer, thanking God for allowing me this crazy, messy, lovely life.
i am grateful for every day of it. the good, the bad, the ugly.
and to top it off, on my way BACK to the gym to pick up jordan, i was sharing this story with my friend monica (who totally totally gets me) and mid-sentence i was like, 'OOOOH MY GOSH...A RAINBOW...' a beautiful, beautiful rainbow. and we had to pause my story so that i could find a parking lot and take a pic. sadly, my camera phone is crap & you can't even TELL it was a rainbow.
but it was. and it was just one more little 'gift' to me today.
i am ready to live.this.life.the challenges that i've faced, the hurdles that i've jumped...they aren't going to stop me.who wants to join me? i promise i'm not as crazy as i sound :)
"...let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." hebrews 12:1-3.
