Birthday Week

Well folks, we're near the end of my personal favorite week of the year: Birthday Week.

My love language is words of affirmation and there is no event quite like a birthday when people just spread the love all around, telling you how marvelous you are and how much they appreciate your existence and it's just the best! So thank you for making birthday week a time filled with love and affirmation and good vibes.

Birthday week meant so much because people gave me the gift of their words and time which caused me to reflect on two things- where would I be without the people in my life and how can I leverage my words and time for others?

Encouraging notes mean the most!  

I have some amazing friends and family and co-workers and roommates. You guys make my life overflowing with joy and it's such a comfort knowing I have people to turn to for life advice, a good cry, or just to catch up. There is no way I would be the strong, confident person I am today without you. In fact, in my weakest moments, I turn to a stack of cards from various times in my life. Each card has a note of encouragement
or word of affirmation written by someone who matters to me, whether an old church friend from junior high, a mentor who attended my graduation party, or a small group leader who guided me during a difficult season. When I feel out of control or forget who God has created me to be, these notes anchor me, even during the most challenging times in life.

So, how can I do this for others? How do I leverage my words and time to pour into those around me? What I've found to be the most meaningful is the gift of presences. Like how cliche is that?! But it's so true! Just last night, a friend and I where talking and he picked up his phone mid-sentence. Almost immediately he put it back on the table, turned to me and said, "I'm sorry, that's so rude of me." That small gesture truly impacted me because he showed he valued our friendship and time together.

Although birthday week has past and I have to wait a whole other year for the next one, I'm challenged to live in the present. To give my people the time I have and be fully there- listening, engaging, and pouring in to the lives of those I interact with. It's not going to be easy, of course, but then again the things worth doing are hardly ever simple. But it's in the discipline of presence that I can bless those who've been such a blessing to me!