Forty-one

I celebrated my birthday last Wednesday. For the past 11 years, my birthday has been a bittersweet occasion. I turned 30 the day after the September 11th attacks. That morning, I was home with my 7 week old firstborn son. My sister-in-law called to tell me what was happening and to turn on the TV. I sat there for the better part of the day wondering what was going on - and knowing that our lives had changed forever.

In the wake of those terrible events, Mike and I made some life-changing decisions, namely, for him to leave his job as a Sales Engineer. He traveled frequently, and in fact, was supposed to be in Canada on 9/11. Thankfully, his trip was cancelled, and he was home with Fletcher and me that day. However, we had begun to consider if a career change would allow him to travel less. In the months that followed the 9/11 attacks, the economic downturn hit the telecommunications industry particularly hard, and we knew God was leading us in a new direction.

After much prayer and discussion, Mike left his job, and we set out on a new journey. It took us initially to Oklahoma City, where Mike began a master's program in medical physics. After he completed his degree, we moved to Little Rock, where he enrolled in medical school.

Where I looked at the move to OKC as an adventure, I saw the move to Little Rock as the end of civilized life and all that was good and right in the world. To put it mildly.

However....

We found a nice little house next door to a medical student and his family. We enrolled Fletcher in pre-school, and I returned to work part-time. And my father-in-law and I spent a week in the fall of 2004 building a wooden swing set and fort in the back yard. I had the time of my life, and PaPa taught me to handle a battery-powered drill like Bob Villa.

I cherish that memory, because on September 11, 2005, PaPa lost his 3-month battle with leukemia.

September 11 is hard.

But, I thank God for September 12. It's my birthday....and it's so much more.

This year, it was the day my 6 year old read a book to me. That's pretty impressive. Since this particular 6 year old stepped on US soil for the first time less than 6 months ago and spoke nothing but the Mandarin Chinese he had learned in his orphanage, I'd say it's remarkable.

Thank you God for the hope and promise that come with the gift of every September 12.

Thomas read this to me twice.

My favorite flowers from my favorite man.

A fancy glass mixing bowl from the Hall brothers.
Trying to tell me something, guys?