another year of His faithfulness

It's that time again, to mark another year of God's faithfulness.

Two weeks ago I celebrated another birthday...very different from my last one,

but still so very good.

Michael's gift to me was a beautiful flowering plant...thank you, Michael!

By Amy's request, I'm recording some of it here for posterity.

How blessed I was by the loving remembrances of so many...

from my amazing extended family, 

and cherished friends who showered me with love.

I am unutterably blessed.

Thank you to each one of you who took time to send

 fun emails and texts and cards, singing to me at church, 

making time to spend with me, and all the other creative ways you found to bless me...

THANK YOU!!

One of my most treasured greetings came from the O. family in Davao (above)

whose only way to contact me was to message Michael on facebook

and to tell him to wish me a happy birthday.

Sweetness.

 To top it off, that evening Mark, Michael and I drove over to have dinner with Amy and Elise.

After dinner at the school cafeteria, we came back to their dorm room for cake and ice cream.

The subtle sign above (Happy Birthday to you in Tagalog!) 

greeted us in the hallway outside their room.  :)

  

And inside they had supplied more decorations.

That's my girls! ♥

 Together again

 And though without transportation, these girls had found ways to bless me with gifts...

a cute mug for my morning tea (thank you, Lise!)

 and a water color rendering of one of my favorite verses (thank you, Amy!)

Mark was behind the camera for most of the time, but Elise did catch us together too...

 NO CANDLES are allowed in the dorms,

so we got a little creative with glow sticks... ;)

Fun memories.

 It was over too soon,

but then, most good things are.

I am blessed,

content, and grateful.

"To it all we say, by His loving enabling, I trust.  

Let us be content with our Lord's will, 

and tell Him so, 

and not disappoint Him by wishing for anything He does not give."
~Amy Carmichael