So, my plan for this year was to do nothing more interesting/taxing than change my age in my Blogger "About Me", and bask in birthdayness until my fabulous husband and son took me out to dinner. That all changed Sunday morning, though....
You see, our church is doing "Mission Charleston" this week, which is a week of service in the Summerville area. Folks have been building sheds at a boys' ranch, serving breakfast at a homeless shelter, putting on a VBS at an underpriveleged apartment complex, and so much more. Originally, I had volunteered to help for a couple hours at the boys' ranch early in the week, but found out last weekend that that event was just for men...but that there would be a group of folks going to the Connie Maxwell Children's Home in Orangeburg on Wednesday.
Well, on Sunday I discovered that rather than Wednesday, the activities in Orangeburg would be Thursday, and in fact, they needed someone to coordinate the activities for a group of 14 kids from age 4 to 16. Absolutely nothing about this is up my alley...but something told me to offer to help, so I did, and immediately was terrified.
Today was quite likely the best birthday of my life -- and that's saying something! I just spent the last 5 hours tie-dying t-shirts, painting pictures, dodging water balloons and talking about God's promises to His children -- all with 14 absolutely amazing kids, my dear friend Corrisa and 17 volunteers from NC, FL and Summerville.
I feel so blessed to have discovered that places like the Connie Maxwell house exist, and grateful for the amazing work that they are doing for children whose families have fallen on hard times. It is wonderful to see that there are regular people among the rest of us who have chosen to dedicate their lives to making a joyful, loving, Christian home for kids who dearly need it. It was truly an honor to play alongside them for a day, and see the blessings God rains down on those who seek Him.
So, as I sit here at 34 years of age, anxiously awaiting my dinner out with my boys, rather than bask in my birthdayness, I would rather count my many many blessings -- and while there are far too many to mention, here are a few:
- Being the child of a God who not only loves me, but knows what is best for me and offers me opportunities to grow and develop into a better person
- Being the child of two wonderful parents who raised me to laugh and work hard and love
- Being the mother of the most delightful child ever born
- Being the wife of my best friend who still sends me flowers
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