play ball!

it’s the monday giggles:

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God grant me a vacation to make bearable what I can’t change.  

A friend to make it funny and

the wisdom to never get my knickers in a knot

because it solves nothing and

makes me walk funny!

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you’re fun…not funny.

But, I am blessed!

Blessed, beyond measure!

And this past weekend,

more than anytime ever,

made me feel it..

from the

top of my head

to the

tips of my toes!

I recently reached the half-century mark and with some poking and prodding and heavy campaigning I acquiesced in allowing my family to host a”Toasting” Dinner Party (with my besties,) for my birthday.

(I do believe it was Cuppycake’s heavy sighs of, “You’re going to make me look bad,” that was the final offensive-tactic which did me in.)

And I must admit having my (recently expanded) family next to me, seeing all my dearest friends gathered around, listening to the hum of their conversations,  the circling around a table eating family-style…all of this…brought me the GREATEST joy as I reached this mile-stone in my life!

Their meaningful hugs, tender words, and lively toasts will truly remain in my heart forever

And even before the start of the evening

other dear-ones, both near & far, showered me with loving affection…

I pray one day they come to know just how much I needed  

(without ever knowing)

their kind words,

their genuine support,

and

their undeserved love.

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Such a beautiful Weekend…

A Texan friend of mine introduced me to a southern phrase once as she was discussing a young woman’s behaviour which was a bit unbecoming, “She’s too pretty to act ugly!” she said.   I’ve often reflected on this and  I do believe, as do others, that there is a culture of individuals; (unfortunately mostly woman,) who prefer to exploit the presummed flaws, unknown defects, and failings of another to exult themselves.

However, I can tell you every woman I was blessed to share my birthday weekend with is not one of them!  They are kind, compassionate, strong, tender-hearted women who are always looking to strengthen those around them.  And I am most definitely a better person because of their presence in my life.

They are the ones who have helped me to feel

courageous,

empowered,

stead-fast,

and 

loved

especially when I have been the most vulnerable these past few years.

And because of this I wanted to honor them

so that they may always remember

 they are truly…

(too pretty to act ugly!!)

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(I HAVE THE BEST FRIENDS!!!)

hugs n’ blessings to all those who choose to be pretty!

(males included!)

and a few extra hugs to everyone who made me feel so special for my “5 perfect 10’s” birthday!

*to find out more about the (too pretty to act ugly) campaign please watch the video clip below and be sure to support other’s by choosing to be pretty!

“There are friends who bring ruin,
but there are true friends more loyal than a brother.” Proverbs 18:24

50 things to tell you.

 

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The first 50 years of childhood are always the hardest!

What is a period of 50 years or grouping of 50?

Well, let me tell you…

“A Half-Century!”

Which means I have had a Half-Century of blessings to be thankful for!

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I Hope-ity-hope if anyone ever re-enacts ME in another 50…they remember 2 important things: hats and polka-dots!

Does this mean it has been 50 years of perfect-living?

Of day after day of over-flowing joy?

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‘Celebration Ribbons’ are so much fun!

Of no tears nor pain?

Of only sunshine beams streaming and eating zero-calorie ice cream for my dinner?

Let me tell you…

“NO!”

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“Angel of God, my guardian dear…”

But I have learned, while skipping along the way,

(even if it were to have been *admittedly*  s-l-o-w-l-y)

that the “perfection” of my life has occurred in the

Sweet Surrender of accepting God’s will.

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Let me tell you…

God knows what He is doing!

God has a bigger plan for me than I have ever had for myself

and His plan far exceeds the circumstances of any one given day!

And, let me tell you…

I can hardly wait to discover what this next

half-century

will contain!

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Erie, Pa is a beautiful place to have lived for 50 years.

There is so much more I would like to sing-song-say,

but if I could only tell you 50 things

I’ve discovered during this first half-century

Let me tell you…

  1. Let go! Let God!
  2. Peace on the outside comes from knowing God on the inside.
  3. Start each day with a grateful heart.
  4. The older I get the surer I am that I’m not running the show!
  5. Life is not meant to be perfect…it’s meant to be LIVED with all its imperfections.
  6. We aren’t called to shine our own light; we are called to reflect His.
  7. Find joy in the ordinary.
  8. Pray hardest when it is hardest to pray.
  9. Not my circus.  Not my monkeys.
  10. Let it be.
  11. Don’t worry about others opinions of you.  God never told you to impress people; only to love them.
  12. Character is how you treat those who can do nothing for you.
  13. Learn to say “no” without explaining yourself.
  14. Sometimes not saying anything is the best answer. (Silence can never be misquoted.)
  15. We aren’t called to be like others, we are called to be like Christ.
  16. To forgive takes love, to forget takes humility.
  17. Heaven is not a prize for the perfect, but the future home for all who are willing to be perfected.
  18. Sometimes you’ve just gotta accept that some people can only be in your heart, not in your life.
  19. Let all that you do be done with love.
  20. God refuses nothing.
  21. Until God opens the next door, pray in the hallway.
  22. Faith means that you have peace, even when you don’t have all the answers.
  23. Having a soft heart in a cruel world is courage, not weakness.
  24. A certain darkness is needed to see the stars.
  25. Say you’re sorry, ask for forgiveness, and mean it. Truly.
  26. Be prepared when you pray to God to defend you against your enemies, you may lose a few friends.
  27. Each day is a decision!
  28.  You can’t but God can!
  29. Take care of your body as if you were going to live forever; and take care of your soul as if you were going to die tomorrow.
  30. You can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world, and there’s still going to be somebody who hates peaches.
  31. Everything is going to be alright.  Maybe not today but eventually.
  32. On a bad day…there’s always crochet!
  33. If it doesn’t make you feel fabulous; don’t do it, don’t buy it, don’t keep it.
  34. No one heals themselves by wounding another.
  35. NO ONE will ever love you more than Jesus.
  36. Hope is the only thing stronger than fear.
  37. Life becomes easier when you learn to accept the apology you never got.
  38. Someday it’s going to make sense!
  39. For what it’s worth:  it’s never too late to be whoever you want to be!  I hope you live a life you’re proud of , and if you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start over.
  40. Do the next thing.
  41. Be confident because you are a child of God.  Be humble because everyone else is too.
  42. The unhappiest people in this world, are those who care the most about what other people think.
  43. God often uses small matches to light up great torches.  No matter how small you feel in this world, He has something big in store for you.
  44. Surround yourself with the dreamers and the doers, the believers and the thinkers, but most of all, surround yourself with those who see the greatness within you, even when you don’t see it yourself.
  45. A few nice words can help a person more than you think.
  46. It’s okay to say no to unnecessary crazy.
  47. Sometimes it’s better to react with no reaction.
  48. Never get tired of doing little things for others.  Sometimes those little things occupy the biggest part of their hearts.
  49. We don’t stop playing because we grow old.  We grow old because we stop playing! AND LAST BUT CERTAINLY NOT LEAST…..
  50. It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters in the end.

I pray my humble-attempts at living out

this half-century 

has been pleasing to Him…

but even perfect people (of which I am not) make mistakes

(that’s #51 I’d like to tell you!)

Where I have failed I pray, with God’s help,

to do better this next half-century

so that I may celebrate

2 Solid-Gold 50’s someday!

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(I wonder if Smucker’s could add some polka-dots?)

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hugs n’ blessings to all those who will tell me new life-lessons, along the way!

Will you be the first to share?

(I hope you will!)

start your engines…it’s birthday week!

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In a few short days

I will become

25 twice,

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5 perfect tens,

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the wonderfully BIG

5-zero!

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And it already feels GOLDEN!

Am I excited?

Nervous?

Anxious?

Depressed?

Yes, no, no, and a most resounding NO!

Those who know me well

understand this year will be like every other.

Why?

Because I love my birthday!

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Why’s that?

It’s my  no-excusal-necessary day,

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my polka-dots with stripes day,

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my free-pass to be sappy-silly

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so that if anyone asks,

“What is up with her??”

“IT’S MY BIRTHDAY!”

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is the perfectly-perfect thing to say!

“Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you”

2 Corinthians 13:5

I hope you’ll follow along this week and discover all the

“Things of 50”

I plan to chat about.

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Balloon Photos by Jared Schaaf Photography, taken several silly-birthdays-ago.

Who knows????

Maybe you’ll be inspired to find a

polka-dot or stripe

of your very own

along the way!

8 Verses that Christ Lives in You (too!)

Romans 8:10, 2 Corinthians 4:6-7, Galatians 1: 15-16, Galatians 2:20, Galatians 4:19, Ephesians 3:17, Colossians 1:27, 2 Thessalonians 1:10

hugs n’ blessings to all those using their silly-passes this week!