"gNOme" Better Way to Celebrate!

This week's blog is a day late for two very important reasons:  1.  It was Labor Day, and although it's not necessarily a religious holiday, seeking moments of rest, making time simply to be, and being thankful for the work that God has given each of us are spiritual pursuits I think are important.  2.  Yesterday was my birthday, and it was a clear choice to make to not to get stuck on the computer the whole day.

It was a good day to be alive, and a good day to celebrate being born.

But today I write, not only to reflect on Labor Day, but to reflect on inviting others to celebrate what God has done in our lives--even when it involves changed plans and GNOMES!

I'm the kind of guy who tends not to toot his own horn too loudly, mostly out of the fear I'll honk it excessively and make a spectacle out of my own self-worthiness.  Because of it, I've tended to let awards, special achievements, and other milestones simply happen in my life and only involve people who already want to be involved.  Especially concerning birthdays, I'm not the kind of person to make sure everyone around me knows that my birthday is coming up.

While this may be a good practice in humility, it's not always the best.  SOMETIMES, we actually need to let people know so that we can celebrate together and have a reason to be joyful.  So I've been working on this a little more.  I actually took a couple extra measures this year to let people know that I was turning 33 soon.  I didn't make it a big deal, but took the chance to share.  I'm glad I did, and NOW I share the results of such measures.

1.  My sister, not wanting me to miss any ounce of my special day essentially planned a surprise birthday party for me at my parents' house in Norfolk.  It was the kind of surprise party that it wasn't a secret, it was simply something she forgot to tell me about.  We found out a couple days before, shifted our plans, and had a wonderful time with family--celebrating my birth and how great it is that God has given me 33 exceptional, love-filled years.

2.  Several awesome friends and people from the church took a moment to send me a little note to wish me a great day.  AND, some of them even went to the extent of decorating my office with OVER 50 GNOME AND LEPRECHAUN figurines, which are currently either staring or smiling at me right now, as I write (see the picture).  What a great way to celebrate a birthday!!  (the funny thing, it wasn't the youth or the children who did this!)

Thank you God for giving me life, for letting/causing me to share it with so many, and for giving us a chance to celebrate!


More to come!


Jason <><