It's not all bad, there was also a strawberry cake made from scratch. There were decorations, phone calls, video chats, prayers, and so much love. There was the joy of watching a ministry grow and the privilege of using my voice to lift up people I love. My body may have been tired, but my heart was—and still is—so full.
“This year is so special because I am still here and celebrating 43.”
Love met me right where I was
My birthday week began quietly because Auden and Gracie were both fighting bad colds. We decided to stay home rather than risk spreading anything to our friends or our church family. That was the loving thing to do, even if it was not the birthday picture I had imagined.
Then my honey man made our home feel like a celebration. He decorated the house and baked my favorite cake completely from scratch: strawberry cake with buttercream frosting, topped with a homemade strawberry coulée. Y’all, I felt so loved. The care behind every little detail meant more to me than any big plan ever could.
There are seasons when celebration looks loud and full, and there are seasons when it looks like staying close to home, protecting the people around you, and receiving the love that is right in front of you. This birthday was the second kind. It was tender. It was personal. It was a reminder that God knows exactly how to meet us where we are. Turning 43 carries a weight of gratitude I cannot fully put into words. I do not take this year for granted. I am still here. I am loved. I am surrounded by grace. Thank you Jesus!
Even a hard week can hold so much grace
By the middle of the week, the colds had caught up with me too. On September 16, I had to miss church because I did not want to get anyone else sick. I was sad about that. Church is not just somewhere I go; it is part of the rhythm that steadies my heart. Staying home when I wanted to worship alongside my church family was hard.
Even there, God gave me reminders that I was not alone. Precious friends reached out through video calls and phone calls. Sweet birthday posts kept coming in. My husband continued to spoil me and care for me. Every message felt like a little knock on the door of my heart saying, “You are seen. You are loved.”
Last night, this yucky virus kept me awake, and getting caught in the rain yesterday seemed to set me back. So today is another Sunday at home. I am watching church online, wrapped up and resting, with Kiki keeping me company. It is not the Sunday I would have chosen, but worship still reaches us at home. God is still present in the quiet room, in the tired body, and in the small comfort of a faithful little companion beside us.
Sometimes faith is not pretending the hard part does not hurt. Sometimes faith is simply telling the truth—I am tired, I am disappointed, and I need rest—while also choosing to notice the grace that has not stopped showing up.
♥ ♥ ♥
Community keeps growing
One of the brightest parts of this week has been seeing our women’s group grow. This community has always been about giving women a place to be encouraged, prayed for, and reminded that they do not have to walk through life alone.
Our English-speaking group meets on the first Thursday of each month, and our next gathering will be October 1 at 7:00 p.m. on Google Meet. Now we are adding a Spanish-speaking group that will meet on the third Thursday of each month. That step feels so important to me because language should never be a wall standing between a woman and the community, prayer, and encouragement she needs.
In honor of Latin Heritage Month, I shared the announcement in both English and Spanish and asked others to help spread the word. I keep thinking about the woman who may see that invitation at exactly the right moment—the woman who has been praying for connection, friendship, or a safe place to grow in faith.
Si conoces a una mujer que necesita oración, ánimo y una comunidad llena de fe, por favor comparte este grupo con ella. Hay lugar para ti aquí.
Prayer lets us carry one another
Even while I was resting, my heart kept turning toward other people. I rallied support for my Primo, shared the Cure SMA Walk-n-Roll fundraiser happening September 26 in Madison, Wisconsin, and asked family and friends to surround Grace Blackwell with encouragement and prayer.
Grace is pushing through the anxiety that comes with her Apraxia of Speech to pursue a dream of competing. That kind of courage deserves to be celebrated. It is a beautiful thing to watch someone trust Jesus enough to take the next brave step, even when fear is loud.
We may not always be able to solve what someone else is facing, but we can show up. We can vote, share, donate, encourage, and pray. We can remind people that their courage is seen and that they do not have to carry the moment by themselves. That is one of the gifts of community: when one person’s strength feels small, the rest of us can gather around and help hold it up.
I’m ending the week grateful
As I close this week, I am still resting and still healing. I would love to feel better already. I would love to have been at church in person. I would love for the sickness to be completely behind our family. Those feelings are real.
But gratitude is real too. I am grateful for 43 years. I am grateful for my honey man and the love he poured into making me feel special. I am grateful for friends who called, posted, prayed, and checked on me. I am grateful for online worship when I could not be in the room. I am grateful for Kiki’s quiet company. I am grateful for every woman finding her way toward our growing community. And I am grateful that God is faithful in both the celebration and the recovery.
This week reminded me that joy does not have to wait until everything feels perfect. Sometimes joy looks like strawberry cake in a quiet house. Sometimes it sounds like a friend’s voice through the phone. Sometimes it is a prayer whispered from the couch. Sometimes it is simply opening your eyes to another day and saying, “Thank you Jesus. I am still here.”