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Well, it happened. I turned forty. And nothing stopped working. Nothing fell off. I was not consumed by the earth. On the contrary, it was a pretty great experience. It was a work day (Friday), so I did that. Then we had our school holiday party afterward. Later that night, Chris took me to dinner at Carraba’s in Rockwall (and gave me some super fun gifts). On Saturday, my brother had invited us over for beer and burgers, so we went there. And you know what? All those people (plus a few others — Doug and Melissa had to leave early) you see in that picture up there had shown up to surprise me! How incredible is that? That during the busiest, most stressful time of the year for many, these people whom I love and care for so much made time in their busy schedules to drive (and fly) to little ol’ Mesquite, Texas, to tell me “happy birthday” in person! Let me tell you who they are and from whence they came: top row (L to R) is: my Uncle Sid (140 miles), my Dad (140 miles), my brother Jason (we’re at his house), his father-in-law George (Mesquite), my boyfriend-in-law George (600 miles from Nashville, TN), Heather’s boyfriend Doug (Dallas), me, and Chris. bottom row (L to R) is: Teresa (140 miles), Jeorgia (her own planet), my aunt Tommie (140 miles), my sister-in-law Jodi (her house), my niece Chelsey (Mesquite), my sister Karyn (600 miles from Nashville, TN), my cousin Heather (Keller, TX), and my mom Betty (140 miles). Chris’ brother Doug and sister-in-law Melissa were also there and drove an hour from Colleyville on a night where they were scheduled to be in three different places for three separate events. Okay, I just calculated, and it appears that (with a small margin of error) people traveled approximately 4,160 total miles to celebrate my birthday with me! How awesome is THAT? Anyway, apparently, my little brother orchestrated all of that, and it was so fun! They brought me cards and fun presents, and we ate food and talked and laughed (well, mainly we laughed at Jeorgia, but she’s worth it)!

I was thinking on Friday, when my bilingual co-workers were throwing me their own little fiesta, that I am truly one of the most blessed people I know. I have chosen to surround myself with great people who have passion and character and love overflowing. The new third grade bilingual teacher at my school gave me a card in which he wrote, “Thank you, Christi, for giving me a good example of living a life with meaning.” I tell you, the whole day could have stopped right there. If there is anything that I would hope to have shared with the world before it’s my time to go, that would certainly be near the top of the list. My life has meaning not because of anything I’ve done or read. It has meaning because of the choices I have made and continue making. Sometimes, they are helpful, sometimes they are not. I have chosen to place my faith in Christ alone for eternal life, and my meaning and my being flows from there. I cannot say I always “represent” all that well, but thankfully, mine is a God of grace, and I do try to choose well!

Anyway, back to being 40. I love it. I walked around all day saying, “I’m in my forties now, so . . . ” and then would fill in the blank with whatever the heck I wanted to do! I have to say that I like saying “I’m in my forties” a heck of a lot more than “I’m going to be 40 this year” which I began saying at approximately 12:01 am January 1, 2007! I told Chris last night that rather than feeling sad or with a sense of dread, what I have felt all weekend has been a sense of contentment. I’ve been pretty emotional, but in a positive way. When I have allowed myself to sit still and really reflect, I am rendered completely breathless by the knowledge that every one of the friends and family who wished me well on that big day is a real-life example of love and kindness.

Thank you for making a big day a beautiful day. Happy holidays to you all!