Cheer

I've never been a fan of cheerleaders. Not them personally, but the big bows, the pom poms, the big smiles, the high voices...it all seemed a bit fake to me. I couldn't understand how you could just turn on that much cheer, that fast. Ah, but then I learned that sometimes you have to smile to keep from crying. You have to make yourself focus on the goodness of God to truly have a cheerful heart and a spirit of thanksgiving. I've learned that when you count your blessings they outnumber your woes. I've learned that cheer is contagious. I've learned that God loves a cheerful giver. I've learned that I have more than I need, so giving shouldn't be hard. In the words of Lil Duval, "I've got a lot to be smilin' for." And if you think about it, you do too.

Everlasting

As a kid, I never understood why "Good Friday" was called Good Friday when so much bad happened. I mean imagine being betrayed by a friend, arrested, beaten, and tried six times in two courts all to be sentenced to death for crimes you didn't commit. To add insult to injury, Jesus died to redeem the very people who deny/denied, reject/ rejected, and betray/betrayed him. My God. Jesus did something that has had an everlasting effect. His death and resurrection are celebrated on the first Sunday following the first ecclesiastical full moon that occurs on or after the day of the vernal equinox every year. Every year, stores are filled with bunnies and eggs that have absolutely nothing to do with Christ's resurrection. Every year, non-church goers flood the pews to hear sermons of how Jesus died for our sins on an old rugged cross. Every year, I am reminded of an Everlasting God with an Everlasting love whose sacrifice opened redemption's door to Everlasting life. Happy Good Friday! Happy Passion Week! Happy Easter!

Great

Today is my 36th birthday, and I can admit that 36 does not look the way I thought it would. In my mind, I thought I would have done more, been more, have more. It's amazing how we can be so critical of ourselves. The truth is I do have more. I am happily married to a man I adore. I have two beautiful daughters. I quit a job I hated. I am happy. I have more love, more peace, more time, more freedom, and more joy. Today is a great day because I am not defined by my accomplishments. I am discovering that who I am is defined by the more I have yet to become. There's more. 36 is good, but 37 will be great. Here's to greatness....

"There are two great days in a person's life, the day we are born and the day we discover why." -William Barclay