On Turning 33

On Monday, July 23, I turned 33 years old.  It was an incredibly special day as we 

celebrated not only my birthday, but the fact that we are together and Shawn is 

feeling better each and every day.  My family and friends filled my weekend with 

love, making me feel like the most cherished girl in the world.  My aunt hosted us on

 Friday night for a special birthday dinner, Shawn's first night out since coming home 

from the hospital.  We went to the movies, had friends over for swimming, and ate dozens

 of desserts.  My best friends, Jolie, Ashley, and Jessica, came over to visit us, bringing 

with them homemade soup, cake, hand made earrings, and my favorite beauty 

products.  My mom cried as she retold the story of my birth for the 100th time, my dad

 told me how proud he was of me, and my husband gave me the most thoughtful card I
can not stop reading.  It was a birthday filled with love and inspiration, a weekend 

spent acknowledging the friends and family I have so graciously been blessed with.

 

 

 

I have always loved celebrating my birthday, welcoming a new year with enthusiasm as 

I imagine all the things I will experience and the ways in which I will grow.  Who am I at 

33? What will I do differently?  I know that, at 33, I am more aware than ever of my 

courage and strength.  I believe in myself and my capabilities, fully accepting of life's

 most recent challenges and open to the ideas they will teach me.  At 33, I understand that 

I know even less than I once thought I did.  Part of me will always be headstrong 

and stubborn but, I have learned to bend with the wind, learned to calm my inner voice

 and become more open to possibility.  I know that I am constantly evolving, growing 

and changing.  Life is precious and unexpected and I am celebrating the fact that 

my family and I have been given a second chance.  

 

 

 

 

 

I welcome you, 33, with open and waiting arms.  Thank you for a birthday filled with

 the sounds of children laughing, dancing in the rain, best friends and beloved family.  

Thank you for crayon colored cards and ice cream in bed.  This year promises to be 

an important chapter, for that I am sure.