On the Occasion of my 43rd

Holy God. Thank you for the gift of life.

Some days, I confess, I don’t think it is a gift.
But then I remember, there are people who walked among us who do not have that gift.

Thank you for letting my lungs breath in and out.
Thank you for oxygen that feeds my cells.
Thank you for the miracle of being able to wake up one more day.

Thank you for…
the ability to walk…
and for a somewhat sound mind…

Thank you for…
the ability to talk…
and for the capacity to communicate with those around me.

Thank you for…
the ability to hear the voices of those that I love…
and allowing me to see the beauty you’ve created.

Forty-three years ago, you shoved me into this magnificent madness.
I feel every bit of those 43 years at times.

Yet…

I am grateful for unanswered and answered prayers…
for the beautiful moments and for the painful ones…

I am grateful for the frustrations and challenges…
for the victories and the peaceful times.

I am grateful for times of anxiety…
and for the times of peace.

I am grateful for the beauty you created in this world…
and for the splendor that is to come in the next.

I am grateful for times of loneliness…
and for closeness with family and friends.

I am grateful for the crying…
and for the laughter.

I am grateful for the mundane days…
and for those that keep me on my toes.

I am grateful for friends who betrayed me…
and for those who are still at my side.

I am grateful for heartbreaks and disappointments…
and for times of love and longings fulfilled.

I am grateful for your grace and mercy…
for your salvation and your discipline.

All of my days…the good and the bad…where crafted by you before the world began.

All

my

days

You knew me.
You know me.

You know the number of my days
and the hairs on my head.

You knew who I would be
You know who I will become.

You knew the sin I would struggle with.
You know the sin that is to come.

And yet you chose me.