Birthday Thoughts

 I have spent a lot of time this week thinking about my life since my 28th birthday fell on Wednesday. I've never really liked birthdays. I used to cry every year because I didn't want to grow up. You can laugh if you want.
 Sometimes I still wish life would slow down, I feel like it rushes by and what do I really have to show for it? I began to think of the past ten years of my life, which in some ways seem like yesterday and in other ways seems like an eternity.
The past ten years held a lot of changes in my life. I began to remember the hard times and things that God did in my life. Big life changes.

Ten years ago I was eighteen. I lived in my most favorite place in all the world, Colorado. Family was the closest friends I had. The future seemed so far ahead, graduating from high school in May. A last time to be a camper at church camp. Moving to Bible college in Maryland. Meeting new friends and learning. Spending Thanksgiving with Grandma, late night and lots of pies. Flying for the first time to go home for Christmas break. Spending my first birthday without my family. The rest of the family moved back to Pennsylvania. Moving into the trailer after the first year of school. Struggles to find work. Working as a camp counselor the first time. Learning to trust the Lord to provide money for me to continue college, knowing He wanted me to return.
 August 2007 I start this blog. Returning to school in faith and watching the Lord provide through work scholarships, love gifts and side jobs. Becoming dorm monitor/ Dorm Mama. Meeting new friends. Learning to crochet from one of them, thanks Sandz! Song in the college ensemble.Working as a secretary at church over Christmas break. Returning to school to see the Lord provide again. Memories made. Wrong friendships create tension with family. New opportunities arise, I fight surrender. I serve as camp counselor again, the Lord breaks me and I surrender. Instead of packing and returning to college, I pack my bags for the mission field.
As friends return to college I board the plane for Germany. Teacher with only partial training. Homeschooling three children, three grades. Visiting old remains, castles. Travel to Austria and Switzerland. Plans change, 3 months instead of 9. Pap has a accident. I fly home. Taking a few classes at Bible institute at church. Photograph a friend's wedding. Pray about switching colleges. Take care of a lady with Alzheimer's. Serve at camp. Go on a missions trip to Juarez, Mexico with Bearing Precious Seed.
I returned to the same college. The Lord provides babysitting jobs, plus work scholarships. Spent a month with my Grandma In my friend's wedding, wondering if and when my time will come. A young man asks me if I will miss him when he goes on a trip. Camp Counselor again. I go to mexico, this time to serve. That young man asks me out. Courtship goes on. I know I will marry this man. I commute for my final year of college. Got a job doing night shift care of a lady with Parkinsons disease. Courting turns to engagement at Christmas. Planning wedding. Graduate from College. Missions trip to Wyoming. Wedding to Working Man.
Honeymoon in Smokey Mountains, NC. Learning this thing called marriage. Set up home. Get sick with Mono. Need glasses because of reoccurring headaches. Teach violin lessons from home. Love teaching 4&5's jr. church children. Go on vacation to NC. 1st Anniversary celebrated. Another trip to NC. The Lord leads us to move to NC to help small church right after the new year.
The Lord provide housing just in time. Loneliness. Working Man has accident, loses finger. Starts new job. His Grandma passes away. His Mom gets sick. We travel back and forth to the North. His mom goes Home to be with the Lord. We grow closer away from everyone. My sister gets married. We lose our pastor. Struggles with contentment. Begin large quilt. Teaching violin again.
Year goes by, still no pastor. Struggles continue. Pray about the Lord's will for us. Quilt and craft some more. Friends have more children, I have empty arms. I love this man more than ever. Visit home in Pa multiple times. Vacation in VA. Surprise my sister in TX for her birthday. Christmas all together.
No pastor, not ever candidate. We visit another ministry to pray about. Continue searching for leading. Visit PA. Find out I'm an Aunt on Resurrection Sunday. Struggle. Question. Trust. He holds me. I cry. Seek Counsel for leading. Pray. Build closer friendships with church members. Vacation in Smokey Mountains. We know we are going to be moving. I pack unneeded items. We tell no one we are leaving. We still do not know where we are going. Working Man's sister is getting married, I am asked to be her matron of honor.
The Lord leads back to Pennsylvania. No job. No place to rent. We move into my Grandma's house. We travel An hour to church each way. We help his dad. The Lord provides a job, 3 min from church and 10 min from his dad. We see our new nephew at Christmas. I go to funeral at my old college and see lots  of old friends. Planning for sister in laws wedding. And I have a birthday. 28 years old. Just the last 10 years have been so full. Full of struggles and full of joys. And just for the record, I still don't really like birthdays!

p.s. Check back in a day or two. I am working on a post for a challenge! A Challenge for February. Are you ready?