Blessing Others

Birthday Blessings

Today has been an amazing day! I woke up to birthday blessings from my family which included presents and a huge rainbow chocolate chip cookie on our You Are Special plate with coffee from Panera – what a delightful surprise!

Photo Sep 30, 6 54 06 AM

Knowing how I love to do random acts of kindness, my family purchased a dozen bagels from Panera for me to pass out to my buddies at work – what a PERFECT gift! I was so excited to share the culinary delights with my coworkers, taking time to set everything out with a handwritten note in our teacher’s lounge.

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Best of all, when I returned to the lounge at the end of the day, this is all that remained.  Joy!

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One of my favorite things about birthdays are the stores who celebrate you, too. Michael’s Arts and Crafts store sent me special coupons for my birthday, but I thought it would be fun to pass them along to someone else with birthday joy, so I drove to Michael’s and left them to be discovered in the kids’ section.

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My personal note
My personal note
Coupons ready to be redeemed!
Coupons ready to be redeemed!

As I was walking out the store, the stamps below grabbed my attention and made me smile, so I took a photo of them to remind me of things that make my heart happy:

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Photo Sep 27, 11 23 25 AM

Photo Sep 27, 11 24 15 AM

10 things that make me happy... 4 things that make me ESTATIC!  Love this!
10 things that make me happy… 4 things that make me ESTATIC! Love this!

I also went to Starbucks and was delighted to receive a free drink for my birthday. Thank you Starbucks! I ordered my favorite Salted Caramel Mocha and relished in the happiness of sitting down without interruption to write this blog post.

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How do you like to celebrate YOUR birthday? The old adage “‘Tis better to give than receive” is so very true – I love to bless others unexpectedly with kindness. Interestingly, birthdays are the one occasion where friends and family come together to celebrate YOU; it’s a humbling time of year where laughter and memories come to the surface as you are the center of attention. I know several people who would prefer to hide in the shadows of their special day, but I like to think of it as an opportunity to share in the joy of others. Of course, if I had my way, I would have a sign in my house that says, “Celebrate Everything!”

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Today one of my students asked me how old I was and I told him to guess.  When he replied, “Thirty?” I smiled and whispered, “Add twelve more years.”  His reaction was priceless – his mouth gaped open in shock and disbelief.  “You’re… OLD?!?” All I could do was laugh!  

Yes folks, it’s true.  I’m old.  But old is simply a state of mind.  Ask my forever friend, Lisa, how old we are and the response would be slightly different: “You’re only as old as you feel!”

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Photo Sep 28, 2 39 05 PM

So with that mindset, dear friends, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing in my celebrations EVERY day, no matter how “old” I become.  You have blessed my life beyond measure!

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