James and I share a birthday week and it’s always so much fun. We basically end up celebrating all week! We went out to dinner to celebrate my birthday at the beginning of the week and also enjoyed a cake the next evening at small-group.
Kenny and the kids got me such thoughtful gifts – they know me well! Anna gave me some cozy, soft, gray coasters for my tea and coffee. Four of them so I can have one at the desk, one near my quiet time chair in the bedroom, and a couple in the living room. James gave me some Downton Abbey piano music which I’m excited to start working on. And Kenny gave me two issues of a new magazine we recently discovered – The Joyful Life – Heart & Home Inspiration for Christian Women – owned and founded by a new friend we met at church. This magazine is right up my alley and I love it.
A couple of days later on James’ birthday, he took pop tarts to school for his birthday treat. With COVID restrictions, we can’t send in anything homemade, and he thought pop tarts sounded great. His teacher took a fun birthday video with students sharing words that describe James’ character.
That morning James requested french toast and scrambled eggs for breakfast and Anna surprised him with a card.
That evening, we ate pizza for James’ dinner choice as we watched the snow falling outside. It was very appropriate on his birthday to have snow. Twelve years earlier when James arrived we had quite a blizzard!
On Saturday, we celebrated again with our family in town with some Halo games, tacos from our favorite taco truck guy, and chocolate cake and ice cream. For his birthday, James received new drum sticks from Anna, a new video game, game controller, a case to keep everything together, some new books, and a journal.
It is hard to believe we have a twelve-year-old. We measured the kids this past weekend and James has grown several inches since last summer. He’s grown out of his shoes and just bought a new pair in the men’s department, he handles pretty much everything related to his schoolwork on his own, he’s becoming quite the drummer, and he makes his own breakfast in the mornings – often frying himself an egg. This boy is growing up so quickly and some days I hardly recognize him. He is becoming more and more independent and while some days the letting go is hard, we are privileged to witness as he grows into the young man the Lord has planned. We love you so much, James!
I stumbled across this new-to-me song this week by Andrew Peterson – You’ll Find Your Way. Andrew Peterson is one of my favorite Christian music songwriters. He wrote this song to his second son – a song about a boy growing up and the parent hoping the son will hold fast to the truths he knows deep down. I was flossing my teeth while listening to this song for the first time, and as the tears started to flow I couldn’t see well enough to even finish flossing. So many emotions as these kids grow up, but this is at the heart of it all – my biggest prayer for them: that they will hold fast to the truths they know deep down in their hearts. When life becomes hard and crazy – and it will – I pray James and Anna will lean on the only One who can help.
You’ll Find Your Way
When I look at you, boy
I can see the road that lies ahead
I can see the love and the sorrow
Dark nights awake in a stormy bed
I want to go with you, but I can’t follow
Keep to the old roads
And you’ll find your way
The first time you know you’re not enough
The first time there’s no one there to hold you
And drive alone across America
Please remember the words that I told you
Keep to the old roads
And you’ll find your way
You’ll find your way
The old roads lead to an open door
And you’ll find your way
You’ll find your way
Back home
And I know it’ll hurt, ’cause I know what it costs
And I love you so much and it’s so hard to watch
But you’re gonna grow up and you’re gonna get lost
Just go back, go back
Lash your heart to the ancient mast
And hold on, boy, whatever you do
To the hope that’s taken hold of you
And you’ll find your way
You’ll find your way
If love is what you’re looking for
The old roads lead to an open door
And you’ll find your way
You’ll find your way
Back home
Such a great post! I We love all the birthday pictures! 🙂 I still remember the blizzard when James was born! I also remember the snow when you were born, Jessica! This song you posted also made me cry, as this is a parents’ heart cry – wonderfully done by this artist! Love you all and so appreciate all of your thoughtful posts! God has blessed you with a gift – thanks for sharing it!